Vaterland
by Emerald-Leaves
Summary: Germania is not a man that shows much of anything as a general rule, so how does he react when he finds two little children out in the woods? A look into the family life of Germania, Prussia, and Holy Roman Empire.
1. Chapter 1: Replacements

**Dedication: **To everyone out there who loves the German family as much as I do~

**Chapter One: Replacements**

It had been a long time since Germania had actually lived with anyone for more than a few days. As the personification of such a large expanse of land, he was not attached to any one set of people. He was known as _der Vaterland_ to the many different tribes that constituted his peoples, and he had many children. He did not father them exactly; he adopted them when he found them, made them submit to him and his rule. Once he was assured of their loyalty to him, he had very little to do with them. But while he gained tribute and loyalty from them, in return, he gave them his protection. He directly fought with Rome on behalf of his children if he had to. He demanded complete and utter allegiance because he gavehis own absolute loyalty.

He was a stern man, by nature and by rule. He was a large state, made up of many different peoples and tribes. His children were strong, unruly, and hard to control. For many years now, Romans had been afraid of the people they called "Germans" and for good reason. The Germans were tall, rough, and very brutal if threatened. They were stubborn and often hard to control, and because of this, it had shaped Germania into a hard man, keeping to himself; a stoic man with a temper hotter than any fire that was usually control under a mask of apathy.

There were very few things that could ever get the great Germania to break his customary composed reserve, pull him from his indifferent nature, but _she _was one of them. Her name was Rugii, and she was a territory of his in the northeast, next to the sea. She was an old personification, almost as old as Germania himself, and she was wild, free. Her people were strong and liked to wander, traveling north and south, never once concerned of other tribes or of the Roman Empire himself.

It was this headstrong girl, this impatient, bloodthirsty territory, that could break Germania's reserve every time. Rugii was a warrior, tough and willing to work hard, but she was also self-centered and obnoxious, usually wanting to draw other territories into a fight if she thought she could get away with it. Germania had had to punish her more than once to teach her her place in his domain, but the girl would usually just smile up at him mockingly before strutting away. She was insufferable.

It was not only Rugii's actions that provoke a response from Germania, no, she was more talented than that. She didn't even have to speak to get the man furious. All she had to do was flip her long, pale hair the wrong way or wink at him impudently for Germania to become enraged. The very air about her could provoke Germania if she willed it, and more often than not, the man decided that she must _always _want to be in some sort of trouble with him. She really had the talent to set the territory off even faster than even the Rome Empire at times.

Germania knew of no one else that he hated more that Rugii, didn't know of anyone else that could make him want to tear off his mask of indifference faster so that he could show the true wrath of Germania, than Rugii. She seemed to be the embodiment of everything that annoyed him, everything he scoffed. Her arrogance, her conceit, her egotistical self-confidence was everything he had ever looked down upon.

And yet it was everything he admired.

Nowhere else in his lands stood a personification as solid and ready as Rugii. She was a true warrior, ferocious and cunning. She was strong, both physically and mentally, capable of taking on enemies twice her size without worry. She was capable of great feats of strength but could also be as patient as a spider in its web.

Her laughter, although obnoxious at times, was cheerful and could even melt the frost from Germania's cold exterior. She was energetic and lively, acting so young when really she was quite old. She seemed able to ease the weight the world was leaving upon the older nations backs. Although wicked in humor, Rugii could bring a smile to many faces when she wanted, and was always ready for an adventure or some other challenge.

This was why Germania loved her. He truly, deeply loved her, no matter how obnoxious she was, or how cruel she could be. None of that mattered. He loved her, and he knew he always would, flaws and all. There was just something that attracted the man to her like a fly to honey. Her character was just so different from his own, much more lively and free, while his was stoic and he was chained to his duties. He loved her, in his own reserved way, and he would never wish to change a single thing about her.

Fate, at one time, seemed to have been good to Germania, and his silent sufferings seemed to have paid off when one night, Rugii came to him. Her detestable manner had, in part, been a trap in order to gain the man's attention, because deep down, she had come to love the stern personification that had forced her under his rule. She had come to love him just as deeply as he loved her. And for a while, everything seemed right with the world. To Germania, it was perfect.

That is, until the day Rugii left. Germania had woken up one morning to find his lover gone. He had searched for her, but was unable to find her. Although worried, he did not pursue looking for her after several days. Her nature was a free one, and he knew that she often went where her whimsy took her.

And so he waited, waited for her to return to him, because he could not be happy without her in his life.

Germania ended up waiting many, many years. Every day he waited for her to return to him, everyday he looked for some sort of sign that she would return, but she never did. Seasons melted from one to another, but still Rugii never returned. Trouble in the south kept Germania busy, but there was not a day when his heart did not ache to see the return of his beloved Rugii. No matter where he went, were the growing Roman nuisance took him to fight, Germania kept his ears open for any news of the woman he loved, but no word ever came. His heart grew cold and he redoubled his efforts to appear unfeeling.

Just as Germania had given up all hope to see Rugii again, fear that she might have faded away, she returned to him one night, when he was almost asleep. Their reunion was a passionate one, Rugii crying, weeping apologies into her lover's ear, while Germania comforted her, speaking words of reassurance. Just seeing her again melted his anger and resentment away. They wasted no time in becoming reacquainted with each other throughout the night, and for Germania, his world had become whole again. He had his Rugii back, and she loved him just the same as he loved her. For just a moment, the world seemed right again.

But when Germania had woken that next morning, he was devastated to find that Rugii was nowhere to be found. Like before, she had gone without a single word. The agony he felt was almost too much to bear. He felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest and thrown into the sand. He felt such sharp pains in his chest that he was sure he would never be well again. That morning he wept, cried out in anguish and betrayal. He had been so certain that she had loved him, she had told him so many times, and yet he was left to only assume it was all a lie.

From then on, Germania changed. While he was always quiet and reserved, he had now become more completely withdrawn and bitter. The rare occasions that he smiled ceased all together and he certainly never laughed. His temper became more formidable and he could not stand being around anyone for too long. Being around someone meant risking the chance that he'd become attached, and Germania never wanted to get close to another person again. He couldn't. It was too painful to lose them.

And so, several years later found Germania still alone, out in the woods, hunting. He did not particularly like being alone all the time, but it was certainly better than risking someone else hurting him. He tried not to think of Rugii much, but some days it was just harder to forget her than others.

When he made his rounds in his lands, he would stop where her people resided, but she was never there herself. She was avoiding him, he knew, and quite frankly he wasn't sure he could bear to see her either. He knew he would either break down and make a fool of himself or lose his temper and kill her for causing him so much pain. He did not want to do either, and so he allowed her to ignore him because it suited him just as well.

So, while out hunting, Germania pushed all his pain aside so that he might wallow in his own depression later, in order to focus more completely on his quarry. There was a stag grazing before him, and he wanted to shoot the animal down quickly before it sensed that he was even present. Just as he lifted his bow, however, the animal snapped its head up looking about quickly, before it bolted for cover.

Germania cursed under his breath. He had not thought he was making noise, but that animal had heard something. So, unwilling to let the beast go, the personification stood and began running after the animal. He had not wanted to chase after the deer, but he had little choice. He could not afford to lose the first big game creature he saw today because his food supply was running frightfully low. If he did not shoot an animal today, he would only have a few days' rations left, and he did not like being with so little.

As he ran, however, something in the foliage caught Germania's sharp eyes. It had only been a flash of something, but it was so unusual that it gave him reason to pause. Almost childlike, he gave up his chase of the stag, despite his earlier musings, to instead investigate the pale flash of fur that he'd seen. While he could not see it anymore, he did not give up, and instead began looking about. He nearly cried out when he caught sight of a familiar cloak lying forgotten in the leaves. Rushing over to it quickly, the large man knelt down beside the garment before looking around frightfully.

It was Rugii's cloak. He knew it anywhere. It was just lying on the ground like it had been carelessly tossed without a second thought. Was she here? Had she been following him? Had he seen her, and the moment she knew he saw her, took off running? No, she could not be that fast. Germania was certain that if she had been here he would have seen her still running, or at least would have heard her. But then why was her cloak here? It was hers; it had her markings on it.

Confused, the blonde personification reached down to pick the garment up when suddenly it moved, and something sharp bit into his hand as a small cry went up. Germania instinctively jumped back, one hand steadying himself while the other went for his sword. But all notion of fighting left him when he found himself staring into a pair of rather frightening red eyes.

For just one, irrational moment, Germania thought he was looking at a ghost of some sort, or that an elf had come to play tricks on him. But after taking a second to assess the situation, the man discovered that he was not looking at anything supernatural, but at a tiny child. A child that was deathly pale, hair almost white in color, with blood red eyes, and holding a small dagger in his hand. It was such a bizarre thing to find in the woods that the nation found himself simply gawking at the odd looking child.

"Stay back!" the child, a boy, snapped, eyes narrowing. "Or—or I'll cut you again!"

Glancing down at his hand, the large nation discovered that it was indeed bleeding. Interesting. That was probably the sting he had felt when trying to touch the cloak. While it was annoying, Germania had to commend the boy for his quick reflexes and determination. True, the boy was stupid for trying to pick a fight with an opponent vastly stronger than he was, but such audacity and sheer nerve was refreshing to see, especially from one so young. By some miracle, if the child lived to adulthood, he would make a fine warrior, no doubt about that. The only problem would be getting the boy _to _adulthood. Such brash young men never lived long in Germania's experience.

The big nation frowned at the boy before he stood up, towering over the child. He hoped he scared the little thing. Fear was always good to invoke in children, it kept them in line. The blonde man was a bit annoyed again when he discovered that the child did not back down from him, but instead, held his ground, simply pointing his dagger a little higher in case the other was about to attack. _Brave, _Germania had to admit. _But stupid._

"And what do we have here?" Germania asked, sending a scowl the child's way. "A little white rabbit?"

"I am _not _little!" the boy snapped. "And you need to go before I hurt you!"

The scowl only intensified on the tall German's face. "Arrogant, aren't you, to think that you could ever harm me, little rabbit."

The child seemed to seethe at the name. "I hurt you already," he pointed out. "Now leave before I hurt you again!"

This little one was not going to back down, not even when he stood not to the man's knee. It was interesting that a child could be so stubborn and undaunted. Most children that Germania had ever been in contact with usually cried at the sight of him, and those that didn't just cowered in fear. He was not used to having a little one not only stand before him confidently, but glare at him and making demands! It was truly a fascinating situation Germania found himself in, but it was growing old. He did not necessarily like children and he wanted to be out of this one's presence as soon as possible.

"Where is your family?" Germania asked. "Call them so they can collect you."

At this, the little boy's squared shoulders slumped, and he suddenly looked very small and sad. Although he wasn't sure why, something pulled at Germania's heartstrings at the sight of the gloomy looking boy, but he pushed that back in favor of looking around the forest. Maybe the child was lost?

"I…I don't really have a family," the boy admitted. "Not anymore, at least."

It was just as Germania had feared. Probably yet another orphaned child seeking shelter in the woods after his village had been raided. "You have no one?" Germania asked. "No other relations?"

"Well, I have a father somewhere," the boy admitted. "I don't know him yet, but my _Mutti_ told me all about him, so I'm looking for him."

_A bastard child_, Germania thought. Interesting. Although he had seen hundreds of children in this particular circumstance, he knew not many— if any, really—found their fathers. But in spite of the statistics, he couldn't help but wish that this little one did end up finding his long lost father. Although the personification knew that the chances of that were extremely low. And that was not even adding in the fact that the father may not want anything to do with his son.

"And I do have my baby brother," the boy went on, seemingly unaware that the adult had been lost in thought.

Hearing this, Germania blinked. "Baby brother?"

"_Ja_," the boy suddenly broke into a large grin before moving the cloak back a bit, to reveal a sleeping little child with a shock of pale golden hair. "_Mutti _told me that I had to take care of him when she went away."

"I see," Germania nodded.

Well, as he saw it, Germania had several choices before him. He could either leave the children, one of whom was an infant, on their own to find their long lost father— if indeed they even shared the same father— and be on his way, or, he could offer to take them to the nearest village so that they could be properly looked after and _then_ be on his way. Knowing that in all good conscious that he couldn't just walk away without helping, Germania sighed. "Come with me. I will take you to the next village."

"Really?" the pale little boy asked, red eyes lighting up with excitement. "Thanks! Wait. How do I know I can trust you?"

How quickly the child went from overjoyed to distrustful was truly comical. The boy was young, but he was beginning to actually think and use his brain, learning that he had to look at situations carefully. That was good, smart children usually lasted longer than the dumb ones. It might not have been very fair, but that was the way things were. "If I were someone you couldn't trust and would hurt you, I would have done so by now," the man pointed out.

That gave the child a reason to pause. "_Ja_, I guess you're right," the little rabbit nodded. "Okay. I'll let you take us to the next village. But you have to be quiet so you don't wake my _Bruder_. He gets cranky when he doesn't sleep enough."

Germania was a bit stunned by the reply. That child would _let him _take them to the next village? The nation wasn't sure if he'd ever heard a child speak to an adult that way before in his entire existence. This boy was certainly a brat, there was no denying that, but he also seemed to be a responsible, caring brat. Whatever the boy's flaws were, he seemed devoted to his younger brother, and Germania had to respect that.

"Thank you for giving me the honor," he mumbled sarcastically. "But before we go, I have one more question."

The albino narrowed his cinnabar eyes skeptically. "Yeah, and what's that?"

_Such a mouth on one so young! _"Where did you get that cloak?" Germania lifted the garment off of the baby and held it up. His heart twisted painfully in his chest as he held the last remaining thing he now had of his beloved. Just holding it reminded him of her, and his almost regretted touching it. He could almost smell her off of it…

"That's mine," the boy snapped, startling Germania from his thoughts. "Now give it back! _Bruder _will get cold."

Germania scowled. "_Nein_, this is not yours. This belonged to someone I know. Now, where did you get this?"

The little rabbit tried his best to match the other's scowl, but it was a hopeless cause and came out looking more like a pout. "That's _mine_, so give it back."

This is why Germania hated children. They were selfish and they whined so much. He was starting to get a headache and tried his best to think of another way to ask his question. "Listen, this might be yours now, but I know for a fact that before you were even born, this belonged to someone else. A woman. Do you know who owned this before you were born?"

There. That had to be reasonable enough for a child, wasn't it? If the child felt as though this were his and always had been, then he couldn't really dispute that it belonged to someone else before he was born, right? Germania did look pleased when he saw that the boy appeared thoughtful for a moment. "_Ja. _It belonged to _Mutti_."

And that's when Germania felt as though he had been slapped in the face. He had not noticed it before, but at the child's words, unpleasant familiarity suddenly struck the personification. The boy before him was arrogant, self-assured, loud, and seemed as stubborn as they came. He seemed smarter than the average child, from what Germania could tell, and he seemed uncommonly loyal.

Hands shaking just a bit, Germania stared down at the boy whose face was beginning to look more and more like someone he knew. "Your _Mutti_?" he repeated. "And wh-who is your _Mutter_?"

The boy looked down again, sorrow shadowing over his features in a way that made Germania feel sick. "She…she isn't here anymore…"

Trembling intensifying, Germania pressed on. "Who was she?"

The little albino looked at the older man sharply, as though wanting to find a fault with him. The red eyes unnerved Germania, made him think of all of the evil creatures in the myths and legends of his people, but he found he could not look away. Despite the boy's abnormal appearance, there was beauty to behold in those ruby eyes and snowy locks. "She lived in the east," the child answered at last. "That's where I'm from. We're not sure about _Bruder_."

"Not sure?" With each passing word that left the boy's tongue made Germania feel strangely trapped.

"_Ja_. _Mutti _said that I was to inherit her land when she…went away. She didn't want to go!" the boy's voice shook, like he was trying to reassure everyone of his mother's true intentions, but at the same time, simply reciting the words that were told to him. "Sh-she didn't want to go, but she said she had to because she was sick and we had to find _Vater_."

Despair nearly overwhelmed Germania, but he fought for control, fought it like it was a living enemy. "A-and what was your mother called?" he asked quietly.

"Rugii," at last, the boy named the woman Germania had already known she would be.

Rugii, his beloved, dear girl was gone, faded. After all these years of wandering, running, Rugii had finally come to an end. Germania knew it was coming. After all, those nations that did not change disappeared and were replaced. Rugii, the whore, had run off on him, gotten herself pregnant, and couldn't give up the child. For that was a nation's choice; get rid of the child and live, or keep the child and die. Apparently Rugii hadn't had the heart to destroy the life she had created and chose dissolution rather than to harm her offspring. But there was something off about all this…

"That boy, your brother," Germania nodded towards the sleeping baby. "Your mother, did she find him along the way?" If Rugii really had birthed her replacement, she would have faded much sooner than she had. There was no way that she could have two children…unless the other was the father's replacement?

The boy looked at Germania as though he were stupid, making the older man annoyed. "No, _Bruder _is my _Bruder,_" he said confidently. "I helped _Mutti _when she had him."

"Do you have the same father?" Germania didn't really want to know, but his morbid curiosity compelled him to ask. He honestly wasn't sure he could take it if he learned that Rugii had run off with more than one man.

"_Ja_," the boy confirmed. "_Mutti _said that we do. That she found our _Vater _one time and he gave her _Bruder_, but then had to go."

Interesting. So Rugii had slept with her lover and fled when she knew she was pregnant, and then sought him out again and gotten herself pregnant a second time. It made sense, in a tragic way, her actions. Her lover would not be pleased to discover that there were children now. Children meant replacements, and it was obvious that she wanted to keep them, even risking the life of her lover, in order to save them.

Just like in the animal kingdom, personification would kill any offspring should they desire to keep their lover or themselves alive. But despite all this, Germania wished that she had at least come to him, told him of her situation. He could have protected her and her sons. She had only to ask. But no, she had left him, and run off, even going so far as to run back to her untrustworthy lover, the one that had obviously wanted to kill her first son.

Sighing, the man looked over the two children. There was no doubt left in his mind that this pale child was Rugii's. He had the same deceitful innocents and wicked gleam in his eyes. And if this child, this son of hers, told him that the smaller child was his blood-brother, then Germania believed him. Rugii honestly did not strike Germania as the type to randomly adopt small children out of charity.

"Very well. I will take you to the next town," Germania nodded once.

"Great!" the albino exclaimed before he turned and picked up his still sleeping brother.

"But I do not think you should find your father," the territory cautioned seriously. If Rugii felt the need to hide her children from their father for so long, why then would she tell them to go out and look for him? That would be very dangerous, especially for the littlest one. If the albino was Rugii's replacement, and it seemed that he was since she had already faded, then that meant that the youngest had to be the father's. And if Germania knew anything about the men that constituted his confederation, then he knew that none of them would welcome the idea of a replacement so soon. All of his sons had strong desires to go on.

"We _have _to," the boy glared up at Germania while shifting his brother in his arms. The boy was small, and it certainly looked like a chore for him to carry the littlest one around. It must be exhausting. "_Mutti _told me to find _Vater_, and I'm _going _to find _Vater_."

The boy began walking away, nose in the air, as though he knew where he was going. Germania watched for a moment as the child labored under the weight of his little brother, before shaking his head. It really did look tiring for him. So, Germania picked up the cloak of his lost lover, and followed after the boy.

"Do you know anything about your _Vater_?" he asked.

The boy began huffing, apparently a baby weighed more than Germania had imagined, but the boy stubbornly went on. "She told me that he was very strong and kind."

"Kind?" Germania questioned disbelievingly.

"Yes," the boy snapped, apparently offended for his father's sake. "She said he was the strongest and bestest man in the whole world!... _Bruder_, you're getting fat!" the boy complained.

Smirking, despite his weeping heart, Germania stopped the boy and held out his hand. "I can carry your brother."

"_Nein_!" the albino growled. "_Mutti _said that I have to look after him!"

"And you can look at him while I carry him," Germania reasoned. "We're both going to the same place. Here, you can carry your _Mutter's _cloak, I'll carry the baby."

The older boy looked suspicious, but his stern glare was lessened greatly as he tried to keep hold of his slipping brother. "Okay," he relented. "But you better be nice to _Bruder _or I'll have to do something bad to you."

This was definitely Rugii's son; making threats even though it was clear that he was in no position to be doing so. Germania almost snorted, but managed to stop himself. Instead, he busied himself with collecting the younger child from the older while reluctantly handing over Rugii's cloak to her son.

In all honesty, Germania could have probably carried even the small pack that the albino was lugging around—just how the small rabbit had been able to carry a pack, heavy cloak, _and _a baby brother, Germania couldn't fathom— but the boy seemed prideful, so the older man let the boy carry everything he had been, minus his brother, and allowed the child to walk. In the back of his mind, Germania already agreed to himself that he'd carry the older boy too if it became apparent that he was too tired.

The moment the little blonde was in his arms, however, Germania felt…strange. It was almost like a spark shocked him the moment his hands were on the baby. Startled, the older blonde's first reaction was to let go of the source that caused him pain, but he bit the inside of his mouth to keep from dropping the baby. But Germania wasn't the only one that seemed uncomfortable with the situation, because the tiny infant instantly started squirming and whining.

Becoming increasingly uneasy, Germania looked over at the older boy to find the little albino glaring at him. "You need to be nice to _Bruder_," the child stated again, much more seriously this time.

"I haven't done anything," the older man defended himself, trying to settle the little thing against his shoulder like he had seen mothers do when carrying away their sleepy children…Though modeling himself after a mother really discouraged Germania.

The little boy eyed him like a parent not quite trusting what their child was telling them, but eventually nodded. "Well, okay, but you need to make sure he's comfortable. He didn't sleep well last night because he was scared."

With that information disclosed, Germania nodded solemnly. And with that, they began walking again. The baby squirmed in his sleep for several minutes before he seemed to get comfortable. Once he found his spot, the baby let out a contented sigh and snuggled up closer to Germania's neck. The older man found his face heating up at the affectionate manner, and he glanced over at the other boy, and found the albino smiling up at him. That didn't help the heat on Germania's face.

"_Bruder _seems to really like you," the other said happily. "He's never been around anyone but me and _Mutti_. There were a couple people that came by our old house a few times, but _Mutti _always sent me and _Bruder _in doors. _I _had to take care of _Bruder _and make sure that he stayed quiet while _Mutti _went to talk to the men. They never stayed long, but once I talked to a guy," the albino said proudly, as though talking to a human was a big accomplishment. "_Bruder _didn't though 'cause he can't really talk much yet."

And so the journey began. Germania walked on with the two children while the older one chattered away about anything and everything that came to his mind. It wasn't long before Germania tired from the boy's ceaseless babbling, and soon his mind began to wander. His first thoughts went to Rugii and her two children. Why had she run away from him? Why had she not told him about her situation? If she had not really loved him, why did she come back to him that one night? Didn't she know he loved her?

He wanted to ask the boy about his father again, but at the moment, Germania wasn't sure he could stomach any news of the man that had stolen his lover. Just the thought of the other man made the territory's blood boil. But just as he was slipping into darker thoughts, the baby leaning over his shoulder decided to squirm again. Germania shifted the little thing in his arms, and in response, the baby wrapped his pudgy little arms around the man's neck as best as he could, causing the usually stern nation to blush slightly again.

It was in that instant that Germania realized his little orator had stopped speaking. Glancing down at the albino, he found the boy smiling. "_Bruder _really must like you," the child said again.

Germania gave a grunt in reply. "I suppose."

"I like you too," the boy said suddenly, surprising Germania considerably. "When I find Father, I hope that you two like each other too."

Any possible warmth that Germania had had at the boy's words was stopped cold at remembering the children's father. The man that had stolen his Rugii. "Maybe," he said quietly, his voice holding a cold edge to it.

But like most children, the little one beside Germania didn't seem to notice that his words had any particular affect over the man, and he seemed oblivious to the older nation's tone. "_Ja_, I'm sure that _Vater _will be very happy when he sees us. And he'll probably be very happy that you helped us. I'll tell him that you helped us."

"Please," Germania muttered, all the while shifting the baby, who seemed to be waking up, in his arms. "You don't have to do that."

"But that wouldn't be right if I didn't mention you!" the boy protested. "_Mutti _always told me not to listen or trust strangers, but you're different, and I like you. And _Mutti _also said that if I liked someone that I should see if I could trust them, and I know I can trust you. And since I trust you, that makes us friends." Germania almost stopped walking at those words, even as the baby kept squirmed fitfully, but the albino didn't seem to notice this either. "And since we're friends, I can't just not talk about you, especially when I meet my _Vater._"

Was the child really this naïve? Sure, it was heartwarming, pleasant even, to know that this little one liked him enough to call him friend, but at the same time, Germania wasn't sure if he should let the boy delude himself with fantasies like this. While the older German could not lie to himself and had to admit that being around children wasn't as bad as he'd thought, he still did _not _want to be friends. In fact, he did not want to see either boy ever again if he could help it. The only reason he was even tolerating them was to honor the last wish and memory of the woman he had loved. Despite her being unfaithful to him, Germania was an honorable man, and he knew he could never truly hate her, just her actions, and he could not stand the idea of leaving these two little things, the last connections Rugii had on the earth, alone without protection. He was doing this for her.

But the question that had been burning in Germania's mind for the past hour finally rose to his lips, and before he could stop himself, he glanced down at the little chatterer questioningly. "And do you even know your father's name?"

The albino beside him scoffed loudly. Such audacity in one so young! "Well, of _course _I know my _Vater's _name," he rolled his eyes.

Germania tried to listen closely, but the baby kept moving about, and it was starting to annoy him. So while the little rabbit continued on about how stupid it would be to not know your own father's name, or something like that, the man tried his best to calm the baby down. In the end, it seemed the littlest one was awake for good and did not like the situation he was in. The tiny blonde ended up pulling Germania's hair. Hard.

Wincing, the nation had to bite his lip to keep from growling, and out of annoyance, pulled the child away from his body to hold him out a bit to glare at him. A good glare would teach the little runt just who he was messing with, but when he saw the face of the child, all plans to scare the infant failed instantly.

This time, Germania did stop walking completely as he stared into the little face before him. What he saw was a child with pale golden hair, which he just realized was close to his own color. The baby's face was pale, but not quite as white as his brother's, and unlike his older brother, this boy seemed to have already perfected his glare. What really stood out, however, were the child's icy blue eyes, eyes so cold that they could freeze anyone that looked into them for too long. Just as the albino boy stood for everything Rugii had been this little one had a striking resemblance to someone Germania was quite familiar with, and it terrified him.

The older child kept walking on, not noticing yet that his guide had stopped, all the while talking. But it was the last thing he said that stopped Germania's heart. "—and _Mutti _said he had hair like _Bruder's _and that his name was Germania."

And if the albino's words weren't enough to doom the man, the baby in his arms stared at him unflinchingly, completely unnerving the man, before pointing one chubby little finger at him. "_Vati_." It was not a question, not a plea; it was a statement, a declaration.

The whole world suddenly seemed very wrong, and it almost felt as though the ground had been pulled out from Germania's feet. All the air rushed out of the big nation's chest like water through the crack of a bowl. None of this made sense, yet it all fit together to complete the puzzle he had been mentally working on for an hour now.

Him? _He _was the father to these children? _Him_? That was impossible! Rugii had run off on him…but it all made sense. She must have run when she found out that she was pregnant with the oldest boy, and all those years he had not seen her, she was caring for the boy. And the youngest? He would have had to have been conceived that one night Rugii had come back to him. But why hadn't she told him? Did she really think that he would outright kill the children?

…Would he have? The question made Germania feel sick, disgusted, but it was truly thought provoking. Would he have killed Rugii's sons? _His _sons? He had loved Rugii, certainly, had always wanted to keep her near to him, protect her, so if he had found out that she was pregnant, would he have killed the baby? They would not have known whose replacement the first boy would be until several years after he was born, but even before then, would Germania have let the little albino live? He knew it would have been hardto let the boy live, especially if it risked himself or Rugii.

But the question of the oldest child was now obsolete. The fact was that he had been born to replace Rugii, and Rugii had finally faded away. The boy had to live to carry on in his mother's lands. Germania knew that he would let the boy live. The real question now was would he let this littlest one, _his _replacement, carry on, even as those icy eyes burned into him?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>So…this is an idea I came up with after falling in love with the "Chibi Prussia Diaries" by Arkham-Insanity on deviantart and also reading an adorable fic, called "Keep Him" by DA4TheFunOfIt on here. ^^ This story, however is not in that "universe" and is _not _connected to it, though I still really like the other two. ^^ I just thought I'd give some credit to what inspired me. After seeing these I desperately wanted to make my own "Germania's a father" story.

**History: **Rugii was an old territory in Germania and was positioned where Prussia would have been. The people from this area liked to wander and eventually dispersed across to what would be central Germany. For the sake of this story, because her people started to all wander away, a new territory, a little thing known to us as ancient Prussia, came in.

And for everyone out there: the GERMANS were TALLER than the ROMANS! Therefore, in this, Germania will be taller than Rome. That's fact! There are accounts from Romans about how HUGE the Germans were. Imagine, Italians at about 5'6" to some of the Germans 6'5".

'**Nother Author's Note: **I couldn't find too much information about Rugii other than its location and that its people eventually all moved away into what would be Germany, but that was enough for this fic, I think. ^^ I made her more like Prussia (or rather, Prussia's more like her) for the simple fact that he took up her lands, and if HRE/Germany is almost exactly like Germania, then why can't Prussia be exactly like the other parent? My line of thinking. ^^

And as not to confuse anyone, yes, I did make Rugii blonde and blue, but extremely close to being an albino. I like Prussia being "unique" in his looks, though he does look more like his mother than father. *shrug* I thought that would be cute. Anywho, leave me a review if you liked anything about this. Thanks! :D


	2. Chapter 2: Vati

**Chapter Two: **_**Vati**_

"_Vati_," the baby pointed his chubby finger at Germania.

A million thoughts flashed through the nation's head at hearing this damning proclamation. _He _was the father of these children? _Him_?

It was impossible! …wasn't it? No matter how hard he tried, Germania could not deny that these two little ones resembled him in an eerie fashion. Especially the smallest one; the little one that was currently glaring at him, apparently not appreciating being held away at arm's length. The oldest one Germania might have been able to deny, with his elfish features, but he claimed the youngest as brother, and both claimed Rugii, so Germania knew he was stuck.

"_Ja, Bruder, _we're going to go find _Vati_," the eldest child said dismissively, still not quite aware that his guide had halted. "Our friend is going to take us to the village to find him."

Still shocked, Germania began walking again, quickly catching up to the elder boy. Mind numb, the man settled the baby closer to him again to continue walking, while the little albino chattered away. But Germania did not listen to all of the many _great _explorations that the boy had indulged in, and instead set his mind to working out the problem that came to him in the form of two small children.

The older child was Rugii's replacement, that much was very clear. Apparently she had raised him and hid him away from Germania because she knew that he might want to have the boy killed so that she would live. But that was not the issue. Rugii was already dead and the older nation knew that he had to let the boy live. There was no way around that as the land needed a personification.

But what about the youngest child?

Glancing down at the baby in his arms, Germania took a moment to actually look the boy over. Before the infant had just been like an extra bag as far as the German was concerned. While he slept, the tiny blonde had been of little consequence to Germania and therefore he did not even really take the opportunity to inspect that baby. But now he did, and what he found was truly disheartening.

Blonde hair adorned the littlest one's head, straight, soft as it hung down against the head looking like a waterfall of gold more than tresses. The boy had icy blue eyes that seemed uncommonly good at turning into a glare, like the child _knew _what all was happening. After all, the baby had already accused Germania of being his father, and the old warrior knew that he would forever be trapped if the albino boy weren't so thick and actually listened to how his brother had said that oh so condemning name. And to house all of these noticeable features was a small body with white, soft skin only found in infants. Truly the boy was beautiful, but frightening.

Along the way, the little albino began to tire from the long trek, and eventually began slowing down. Of course the fiery little rabbit did not voice his fatigue, and instead pushed on. It was admirable how the boy was willing to go on, how he never did complain, but it was foolish. If Germania would have guessed, the older boy only looked as though he were six human years of age, though he could not be sure. After all, he had never been around many children before.

Whatever his age, Germania could see that he was tiring fast, and so, to keep the promise to himself, he paused to let the little albino catch up to him before picking up the child as well. "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, red eyes wide.

"Going on."

And that was the last of it. Germania did not explain further, and whether from embarrassment or exhaustion, the boy did not question again. Continuing, Germania found that the night was swiftly approaching and soon he had two little boys snuggled in his arms, both falling fast asleep. It would have been a treasured moment for any parent, but considering everything that he had been through and discovered today, the blonde man could hardly appreciate what he had. Instead, he panicked and began walking faster than before. It stood to reason that the faster he got to where he was going, the faster he could leave these children and be on his way and never have to see them again.

So lost in thought was Germania that he did not realize that he had turned long ago from the path towards the village and instead automatically began wandering home. It was only when he walked out of the woods and into the clearing where his house stood that he realized where he was. He cursed softly under his breath. He had really wanted to be rid of these children!

When he had stopped, the little albino perked up, waking and looking about him. A frown came easily upon his lips before he turned to peer up at Germania, an accusing look on his face. "This isn't a village!" the child shrieked, trying to get out of the big man's hold. "You lied!"

It had been a long time since someone had last called Germania a liar, and they were dead now. The blonde scowled, insulted, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he also tried to keep the boy from falling. "This is my home," he said simply. "It is closer to the village and is where we will be staying the night."

The older boy did not lose the suspicious glint in his eyes as he continued to inspect the man, but he ceased his thrashing. "We'll keep going in the morning to find _Vater_?" Hearing that name again truly made Germania have to fight an uncomfortable squirm, but he managed it somehow.

_Vater_. It felt so wrong when he heard it directed at him, and yet it seemed natural. After all, he was known as _der Vaterland_, wasn't he? So why then was he frightened at the aspect of someone simply calling him _Vater_? It didn't make sense, and yet it seemed to make all the sense in the world. The facts were literally all before him, screaming at him, and yet he just could not grasp them. It was all just too surreal.

"_J-ja_," he muttered quietly before walking towards the house.

That seemed to pacify the fidgeting little albino for the time being, and before Germania could do anything, the boy jumped from his arms with a big yawn and a stretch. Looking up at the older man with bright red eyes that reflected the moonlight eerily, he turned his attention to his brother, who was now also awake due to his brother's movements. Surprisingly, at least to Germania, the baby did not start crying. He just looked sleepily down at his brother with an almost annoyed expression, as though he were used to his brother's wild behavior.

"Don't worry, _Bruder_!" the albino exclaimed, not at all deterred by the frown he received from the littlest one. "Our friend is going to let us stay with him tonight before we go find _Vater _in the morning."

The tiny blonde's frown only increased at hearing his brother's words. Icy eyes turned to Germania, and the large nation could almost feel his heart stopping as a sparking sensation shot up his spine. "_Vati_," the baby spoke for the second time that day. Just like before, it made Germania nearly have a heart attack from the firmness of the decree.

But luckily the albino did not understand the baby's simple proclamation and instead confused it just the same as he had before. "That's right, _Bruder_!" the other boy praised. "We're going to go find _Vati_ soon and soon the three of us can be a family!"

The infant pouted slightly, making Germania sweat. "_Vati_!" he said more forcefully, this time outright glaring at Germania, as though daring the man to contradict his statement. The older blonde could do nothing but stare back helplessly.

Germania was just about to crack and start yelling, to admit to the world that _he _was more than likely the children's father, but stopped short when the albino smiled fondly at the younger boy. He held out his hands demandingly and it took a moment for Germania to realize that the albino wanted to hold his brother. More than happy to comply and be rid of the baby that unnerved him so completely, the man placed the infant in the child's arms. It was only after he was no longer holding either child that the man realized how tired and stiff his arms had become.

When the albino had a hold of his brother, and the two stood there in the moonlight, something in Germania's chest twisted as he stared at them. The pale light bathed them both with its astral glow, making both children look more like elves than humans. For just a moment, Germania believed that they were Loki's helpers come down to torment him in his sorrow, but he knew that was not so. Strangely, both children looked…beautiful, in a way. They were so innocent and vulnerable in the world, alone with no mother to protect them now…

The older man was startled from his thoughts when he realized that the little albino was already stalking off towards the house. Again, the older German was surprised that the boy could so boldly march into another person's home without any embarrassment or awkwardness whatsoever, as though feeling it was his right, but then again, this boy was Rugii's son, which meant that arrogance and audacity flowed through the child's veins.

It really wasn't that big of deal as Germania easily caught up to the children and ended up opening the door for them to enter, but he found he could not dismiss his annoyance with the albino's manners. The boy was truly someone that Germania would have to watch closely. If indeed the child inherited Rugii's land and her personality, then this little one was going to be a fighter, one that would be hard to handle. He was going to have to watch the little rabbit closely and make sure that he kept the boy out of needless danger. And the littlest one…

Once more, Germania paused as he looked to the tiny blonde that was nestled into his brother's arms. What was he going to do about the littlest one?

"So!" the older boy exclaimed once Germania had lit a fire. "What now?"

The older blonde looked around his modest home and wondered just that. What were they to do now? What was he going to do with two small children?

"You may sleep here tonight," the blonde pointed to his bed. It was close to the fire and would surely keep the children warm throughout the night.

The albino flashed him a smile, but did not thank him. Instead, he walked over to the bed, arms still laden with his brother, before he set the younger boy down. Then, he took his mother's cloak and placed it around the baby. In a matter of minutes, he had made a sort of nest around his brother so the baby would not roll off the bed before he jumped up and removed his boots. Then he took the blanket that was at the end of the bed and draped it over himself and his brother. Once that was done, he looked over at the baby once more, deemed that the blonde was comfortable and well placed before settling down in the bed as well.

Germania watched all this in silence, his heart beating wildly in his chest. "We'll leave first thing in the morning, right?" the albino asked.

Slowly, the old German nodded, feeling numb. "Yes."

The older boy smiled again before nodding. "Night," he called, before turning over to sleep.

After a few minutes of standing in the same place stupidly, Germania decided that perhaps it was time to move. Slowly, he took a deep breath, not realizing that he had not been breathing during the entire exchange. Once he was certain that he could breath normally, he slowly uncoiled his muscles that seemed to have stiffened due to tension and ached from traveling several hours with his arms burdened with the children.

It took another moment for his brain to start functioning again, and once he could do that, he realized how insulted he was. That older boy was truly a rude little brat and Germania could more clearly see how he favored his mother that way. But thoughts of Rugii left the man feeling once again depressed and oddly hallow.

The blonde needed time to think, needed to sort all of this out before he did anything else. The concept of him being a father was simple enough. He knew that he had slept with Rugii, knew that that was how women conceived. He had even admitted to himself that the albino child looked and acted astonishingly like Rugii. He could accept that, but what he could _not _accept was the youngest boy. The child who, as of yet, had no land.

Sighing, Germania walked out of the house and began walking around in the dark. It was not a wise thing to do, to walk around alone in the woods where any manner of animal or person could potentially attack you, but the nation was not necessarily worried about that. A part of him actually wanted something to happen to him, that way he would not have to deal with the problem of the children that seemed to have come in to ruin his life. But as soon as he thought of that, he scowled.

If he died then that little blonde brat would just inherit his land that much sooner and Germania really did not want to give up his life just yet. He had so much he wanted to do, so many things he could do!

Would his time come soon now that there was a replacement? Did Germania even have a say in the matter anymore? The baby was still quite young, that was true, but what if the child was old enough that Germania would not be able to kill him? Perhaps that's why Rugii had kept them away from him so long, to make sure the youngest was strong enough that he could fend off any attacks from his father?

No, that was impossible. The baby was just that, a baby. The little blonde could no more withstand a blow from Germania than a butterfly could the beak of a hawk. The infant was completely helpless. If it had not been for the older boy, Germania was certain the baby would have fallen prey to some hungry animal by now. Without the older child, the younger didn't stand a chance.

So why? Why had these children come to him? Why had Rugii sent them out looking for him? She must have known that he would not be pleased at all with seeing two children, so _why_? Now that Rugii was gone there was little point in harming the albino child. Rugii's land needed a personification and that boy was the one for the job, it was what he had been born for. She must have known that Germania would not harm the eldest child, that much the blonde nation could understand.

But _why _had she sent _his _replacement to him so completely vulnerable? She had known that Germania's will to live was strong, that he would not leave the world easily. Sending the infant to him was like sending a lamb to slaughter. All of Germania's instincts told him to kill the baby, that it was just the nature of the world and it was either him or the baby. There was a very great temptation to just go in there and take the baby out of its brother's grasp and rid himself of it. Perhaps the little rabbit wouldn't even stir and the older nation could dispose of the littlest one quietly without a fight.

Not that it would be much of a fight. Germania was a large, strong confederation of states, he could handle a little upstart personification like the little rabbit. But in his mind, the blonde did not want to have to fight the older boy. It was truly a bad thing to start off a domination of a territory with a conflict. The albino would be displeased with Germania should he kill the baby. But then Germania had started off conquering nations in much worse ways.

Walking back into the house, the Germanic nation found the children fast asleep in his bed, right where he had left them. He stalked up to it and peered down at both children. The albino was curled around the little nest he had created for his brother, while the baby slept on its back.

The older nation took a moment to observe both little ones as they slept. The albino looked restless, his face scrunching up every so often, apparently having troubling dreams. The baby slept soundly, its mouth slightly parted, looking wholly content with the world. Even like this, Germania had to admit that they truly were beautiful. _Just like their mother_, he thought sorrowfully. The resemblance the children shared with Rugii was stunning.

Something stirred in Germania's chest as he stared down at the boys. It was difficult to think of one as a land owner already and the other waiting to encroach upon Germania's own. It wasn't fair. It really wasn't. What was he suppose to do with these two little ones? He was not a father, he couldn't be! He knew next to nothing about children nor did he care to learn.

Germania's hands balled up into fists as his thoughts became more and more agitated, panic started to set in where calm would normally be. These two were his children. _His_. A wave of possessiveness flooded over the nation's senses, nearly overwhelming him. These were _his_. These were no one else's, just _his_.

His expression became cold as his regard for the boys soured. They were beautiful, but in a false manner. They were not elves, they were demons. Demons sent to torment him, mock him in his greatest hour of pain. It was Rugii's final taunt, giving him these two children, leaving them to mock him with her features, to smile at him with her eyes and feral grin. They were Loki's minions sent to distress his heart.

But they were _his_.

Scowling, Germania reached out and picked up the baby. Again, another jolt flashed over him as he took the child in his arms. The infant squirmed, face scrunched up into something akin to pain, but he did not wake. Germania sneered before turning to walk towards the door. He only looked back once when he opened it to make sure that the albino did not wake. When he saw that the other slept on, the blonde continued out of the house with the baby securely in his arms.

After walking about five minutes or so, Germania came to a stop along the large creek that he had built his home near. It was fairly deep as far as creeks went, about three to four feet deep, and its width made it possible to cross the creek easily enough with only having to step on a few stones to get there. It was a slow flowing creek, taking its time to meet up with the larger river that would lead it down into other parts of the country. But it would serve Germania well.

The large territory knelt down next to the water on his knees. He took a deep breath and looked up at the moon. It stared back at him, its light accusing him silently, but he turned his face away from it. He felt almost ashamed that there would be light to shine on him in this black moment, but it had to be done. Germania had a strong will to live; this was his right after all. This child was _his _and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Germania prayed to Wodan that his soul might not be cursed before he leaned forward and began to slowly lower the baby towards the water. It would not be very hard, nor would this take that long. All Germania had to do was hold the infant under for a few minutes, and when it ceased to move he would simply let the body float down stream and away from him forever. No one would ever know about this child. It would simply go back into the earth from which it was made. It would become one with the land it had been trying to steal from Germania.

As he lowered the baby down, Germania could not help but look over the child again. It truly was a striking child, its pale golden hair shining in the moonlight, its skin so fair, without blemish. He knew that underneath closed lids there were two gorgeous ice-blue eyes that could rival the beauty of any precious gem. Truly this child was perfection.

Germania's hands started to shake as he got closer to the water. The moon's reproving beam burned into his back. But he had to do this. He was not ready to die yet. Who would protect his other children from the likes of Rome? Who would fight for them? Who would keep them together and safe from foreign invaders? Certainly not this little one! This boy couldn't even speak properly! How would it lead armies into battle?

An image of the albino child came up into Germania's mind. What would Rugii's child think when he woke in the morning to find his brother gone? Would he accuse Germania of stealing him? Probably. Would the boy understand what Germania had done? Would the boy realize that father nations had the right to kill their children? Probably not. But the boy was smart and he would probably figure it out.

And what then? Would Germania spend the rest of his life trying to quell the rebellions of the albino? The boy would certainly not cooperate should he find out that Germania had done something to his brother.

No, that could not be helped. If the albino was to truly become his own nation he would have to learn that there were times when sacrifices had to be made, and that sometimes, for the greater good, you had to give up others along the way. It was not a particularly pleasant truth to learn, but it was inevitable and there was no use trying to hide it or sugarcoat reality. Life was hard and sacrifices were expected.

Yes, that's what this was, a sacrifice. Germania was doing this to help everyone else that resided in his territory. He was doing this to protect his other children and that was all. He was not being selfish, he was just being rational. This baby could no more lead or control the other nations anymore than Germania could fly. For the sake of the land and the people, Germania _had _to do this, there was no other choice.

In the darker recesses of his mind, however, Germania betrayed himself. Was he really just being rational or was he being a coward? Death was admittedly a frightening thing. Many men spent years fearing the day that it would come to them. It was a thing that could reduce the greatest warriors into quivering masses, leave grown men weeping. As a nation, Germania had the advantage of fooling death many times over, but even he could not ultimately escape it in the end. All nations died at some time. Nothing could last forever. He knew that. So was he really thinking of the wellbeing of others at this moment, or just his own?

No, this was a test. Wodan was testing his conviction. This _had _to be done, the fact that it would save Germania in the end was just a byproduct of the action. This was not only his right, but his duty. He owed it to his children, to his people, and to himself to do this.

Germania tried not to look at the baby's face as the backs of his hands hovered above the water. But in the reflection of the water and the moons iridescent blaze, the nation swore that he saw the face of his deceased lover, her blue eyes shining with fury and sadness. What overwhelmed her expression, however, was the look of betrayal shining deep in her orbs. Her eyes seemed to ask "why", and even though Germania knew the answer, was certain of why he was doing this, seeing that look in Rugii's eyes crushed all his convictions.

When the back of his hands touched the cool surface of the water, Germania lost his courage and gasped. He stared into the water and his heart broke at seeing his lover's sorrow. He had been wrong. This was not _his _child, or at least not his alone. This was Rugii's child as much as his own. She had given him this child, not to deal with as he willed, but to take care of. She had given him the responsibility of raising her children, _his _children, in faith that he would be a father to them, that he would love them. She had not sent these children, this child in particular, to harm him, but to bless him. Somehow he just knew that she had wanted him to feel the joys of parenthood as she apparently had. For all that Rugii had been, for all of her past misdeeds, her cynical nature, she had loved these boys and she had wanted to share them with Germania so that he, too, might grow to love them as much as she had.

The blonde gasp as his hands froze, just grazing the water's surface. Still trembling, he looked down into the face of the infant that was dangerously close to losing his life. Germania was shocked when he found blue eyes staring up at him, the glow of the moon reflecting in them, giving off an unworldly appearance.

"_Vati_."

If there had been any conviction left in Germania to end the child's life, it shattered the moment he heard the tiny being call out to him. Unfamiliar emotions overwhelmed the man and nearly consumed him in their flame. A single sob escaped the territory's mouth before he bit down on his bottom lip so hard it drew blood.

He couldn't do it. He could not harm this little one. It wasn't in him and it never had been. This child was Rugii's, he had known that from the beginning and he knew that he could never harm anything that was of her. She had bewitched him mind and soul, cursed him into the slavery of love. No matter what she did, he could never curse her back, nor could he harm her. This child was one of the last connections she had to the earth and Germania did not have it in him to destroy that link. How could he?

Feeling suddenly drained of all energy, the nation lifted his hands out of the water and cradled the infant to his chest. The tiny boy stared up at him with large, frosty eyes not unkindly. The baby seemed confused, but the trust Germania beheld in their depths shamed him more than anything else ever had. Another sob wanted to escape him, but he simply clamped down harder on his lip, unable to break eye contact with the child.

"_Vati_," the baby said again, reaching out pudgy hands to Germania, as though wanting to embrace.

Germania felt nauseous. He felt so ashamed that he had to look away from the eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul. Somehow the baby knew. The boy knew what his father had been going to do, Germania could see it in the cold eyes that stared up at him, and yet the infant also radiated trust. It was as though the baby knew his father would never harm him in the end, and forgave him for his moment of weakness. It was unnerving, yet in a way, a relief.

Taking a shuttered breath, trying to calm his racing heart, Germania stood from the water's edge and slowly made his way back to the house. He tried not to let the guilt of what he had almost done consume him, but it was difficult. The only way he managed to suppress the remorse was due to the baby's forgiving expression. He wondered how the child could forgive so easily, or how he even knew what Germania had been trying to do in the first place. With the way things were going, Germania decided that perhaps it was just better that he never know.

When he entered the house again, the German made sure that he was quiet so that he did not wake the sleeping albino. The last thing he wanted to deal with tonight was the constant questioning and distrustful eyes of the older boy. The little rabbit already held an unearthly look about his eyes and the large nation wasn't sure he could handle trying to explain to the elf what he had been doing out late at night with his younger brother.

The baby, too, seemed to understand the importance of remaining quiet and simply gazed about as though looking for where his brother had been left. Once they neared the bed, the baby started squirming slightly, as though trying to get close to his older brother. It made Germania wonder just how close the brothers actually were. Even at such a young age the two seemed to have made an unbreakable bond. It was touching in a way, though Germania knew that it would more than likely cause problems for the two in the future.

The large blonde settled the baby back into the nest his brother had created for him as carefully as he could. Irrationally he believed that he might actually be capable of breaking the child. After all, the infant looked so fragile.

Once snuggled in, the baby cocked his head to the side as he stared up at the large man innocently. Again, Germania felt a stab of guilt at knowing that only a few short minutes ago he had been very close to drowning the baby. But the child seemed to hold not resentment and simply reached up again towards the man.

"_Vati_," he whispered, as though knowing he should not speak too loudly, lest he wake his brother.

For the first time since learning the truth, Germania smiled down at the boy softly and stroked the downy golden hair in something akin to fondness. "_Ja_," he whispered back.

It was at this affirmation that Germania saw the baby smile for the first time. It was breathtaking to see those pale eyes light up and the fair face beam. It stopped the man's heart for a moment, and it was then that he knew he had done the right thing by letting the baby live. How could he have almost destroyed such a beautiful creature?

The smile only lasted a moment longer before the boy closed his eyes, hiding away the brilliant orbs, as he went back to sleep. Germania waited several minutes to make sure that both children slept peacefully before he turned and left the house once more.

He had work to do.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hello all, and sorry for the delay. 'Been doing some "grownup" like business, what with apartment shopping and getting ready for college again. If you haven't noticed already, this family is not going to be particularly "fluffy" in the conventional way. They're not going to be openly lovey dovey. I always saw them as a family that based their feelings in the whole "actions speak louder than words" philosophy, so if you're wondering when Germania's going to say "I love you" to the kids you're going to be waiting a long, _long _time for that.

(And if you noted how Germania noted little HRE by calling him "it" that was not a mistake, thank you, it was intentional. Dehumanizing a person makes it easier to do something bad to them, right? So please don't call me out for not using "the right pronoun".)

All right, so thanks everyone for waiting patiently, and please drop me a **review** on your way out if you could be so kind, I'd really appreciate it. :) Thanks again!


	3. Chapter 3: Discoveries and Damnation

**Chapter Three: Discoveries and Damnation**

The next morning, the little albino woke up with a big stretch and a yawn. He was tempted to fall back asleep when he heard slight rustling next to him. Cracking open one red eye, the boy discovered his little brother, still snuggled into his little nest, sleeping on peacefully without a care in the world. He was almost envious of the other child who seemed able to sleep the whole night through without any disturbances.

Unlike the blonde, the albino had woken up in the early hours of the morning because of a nightmare. He had dreamt that he hadn't been able to find their _Vater_, and that they were forever trapped in the woods with no Friend to help them. It had been terrible. A monster had come in the dream and had devoured _Bruder _before the older boy had had a chance to save him. And then _Mutti _had been so sad and said that he'd hurt her heart by letting _Bruder _get hurt.

It had been a nasty dream to be sure, but once he had woken and realized that it hadn't been real, the child had settled down once more and fell into a light sleep. It was a good thing he hadn't woken _Bruder_. The baby was always a little irritable when first waking, and the older boy had learned his lesson about waking _Bruder _several years ago, and he was notkeen on ever repeating that particularly terrifying event again.

Looking about the room, the boy came to realize that he was still in the house of his Friend. He had almost forgotten that the man had taken him in. It was a good thing that he had, otherwise the boy was sure he and _Bruder_ would have gotten cold during the night and _Bruder _would have gotten scared. That's what happened the night before, and the albino had no desire to have to live his life like that ever again.

No more wandering! Once he got to town and found _Vater_, things would be different!

But where was his Friend? Had he left? He couldn't have left! He had to take them to town to find _Vater_! He had _promised _to take them to town! He couldn't back out of that!

The door to the small home opened, and the tall blonde walked inside quietly, his hands loaded with meat for salting. His hands were bloody, and there were even blood stains on his shirt as well. It was obvious that he'd gone hunting that morning, but the boy could care less about the fact that his Friend had gone and was only interested in the fact that the man had _food._

"Hey!" he called, running towards the tall man. He noticed how his Friend stiffened, but chose to ignore it in favor of climbing up into the single chair that stood next to the table. "Is that for me?" he asked excitedly, hoping to eat some meat again. He hadn't eaten much of it since _Mutti _died.

He looked up to find the tall man frowning at him, but then the blonde nodded. "_Ja_, once it's cooked."

"Awesome!" the boy declared.

The older German's frown deepened. "Awesome?" he questioned.

The boy cocked to his head to the side, confused. Did his Friend not know what the word "awesome" meant? If that was the case, the albino wasn't sure he should leave this man alone. This man clearly needed someone to look after him. Maybe _Vati _could take care of his Friend too?

"_Ja_, awesome. It means 'really good'," the boy smiled brightly.

The other scowled, his deep blue eyes were gleaming with something that the boy couldn't quite understand, but the man quickly seemed to think better of whatever he seemed to find wrong and stayed quiet. His Friend was certainly a strange one, but the boy decided that he liked the man anyway. After all, he was going to help him and _Bruder _find _Vater_.

"Go get your brother," the man ordered. "I'll make you something to eat."

"Okay," the boy nodded. "And after that you'll help us find _Vater_?"

The man seemed hesitant, but then nodded slowly, not saying a word. Although he wondered at the man's attitude, the albino felt it wise to keep quiet for the time being. After all, he didn't want to make his Friend angry and risk him not taking he and _Bruder _into town. But then again, the man _had _promised…

Hopping down from the chair, the boy ran back towards the bed and jumped up on it with a laugh and big bounce. "_Wach auf_ _Bruder_!" he cried happily, grabbing the baby's hand and continuing his bouncing. "_Wach auf! __Sofort!_"

The infant was startled awake looking about the room with panic flashing through his icy eyes, before his eyes settled on his brother. The moment the blue found red and he saw the smirk on the older boy's pale face, a scowl came to the baby's lips almost instantly. The almost ever present annoyance resumed its normal place on the little one's face. The tiny blonde huffed his irritation.

The older boy just laughed before picking up the baby. "We got to get you all fed and full, _Bruder_. We got a big day ahead of us. We got to find _Vater_."

"_Vati_," the baby's expression eased, and he looked a little happier…not much though.

"_Ja_, _Bruder_, we're going to go find _Vater_!"

Gently, the albino picked up his brother and carried him over to the chair where he settled his brother in before crawling up himself. The older child stood up on the chair to pear over the table to where the man was currently cooking. Friend sure seemed to be busy cooking whatever it was he was cooking. He seemed so serious standing there, staring down at the meat that was frying. It sure smelled good.

"Oi, when's food gunna be ready?" the older boy called, standing on his tippy-toes on the chair to try and see just exactly what was all being cooked.

The blonde man turned around to scowl darkly at the boy, but the albino didn't even flinch. While the scowl did look scary, could probably peel skin off the bone, and while he could appreciate that this man could instill fear in others, for some reason unbeknownst to the boy, he was not afraid of this man. It actually struck him as funny in a way, the way that man glared at him like that. Did he really think that just because he _looked _scary he could make others do what he wanted? _Mutti _had always told him that looks meant nothing without having power behind it to back it up.

So while the man scowled, the boy smiled back, completely unfazed. "You should learn to speak to your elders with respect," Friend said sternly. "It is rude to speak so impertinently to someone like myself."

"But I could be older than you," the boy frowned. "_Mutti _told me that I'm older than many humans and I'll live longer than any human." The man blinked in surprise. "I'll be sad when you're dead. But I'm still older than you. I can tell. You look as old as another man I knew."

The older German looked completely shocked for a moment before he frowned. The albino couldn't understand his Friend's reaction at all, though he did try. "To many humans I do appear to be a young man. But like you, I am not human. I am a personification."

Red eyes lit up excitedly. "Really? That's neat! So we can be friends for longer and not have to worry about you dying!"

While the blonde man appeared to be once again thrown for a loop, the baby in the chair reflected the general emotions of the morning well enough when he huffed with agitation, apparently not appreciating the neglect both the man and his brother were paying to him. So while the man recovered himself and turned to busy himself with preparing the meal, the albino turned back to his little brother, a large grin on his face.

"Did you hear that, _Bruder_?" he asked the infant as quietly as he could, though in truth, it wasn't all that quiet, but he didn't see how the man stiffened. "We're not the only ones like us now! Our Friend is like us."

A quiet sigh emitted from the infant, almost as though he were exasperated. But the albino was used to his brother's moods, although he could never quite understand the smaller boy's seemingly perpetual annoyed state of being all the time. The older child was quite happy with things and he wondered why his brother didn't smile as much as he or _Mutti _ever did.

After another few minutes, the man came back over to the table and set down a plate of food in front of the children. The albino had to stand up in the chair again in order to see over the table top. He stared at the food for several minutes, his mouth watering, before he grabbed a hand full of meat and shoved it into his mouth, not at all worried about how hot it was.

"'Dis is gwat," he smiled happily while chewing his food. He nearly laughed out loud when he realized that both his brother and his friend wore an almost identical expression of censure.

"You shouldn't put so much food into your mouth at one time and talk," the blonde man shook his head before going back to make himself a plate.

"I said it was great," the albino clarified, before sticking another piece into his mouth.

"It doesn't matter what you said," the older nation scolded. "The point is that you shouldn't put so much into your mouth at once. No one cares to see what you're eating. And besides, you'll choke if you do that."

"Hmm," the boy hummed, not really paying attention. "What about _Bruder_?" he asked, suddenly remembering the other. "He can't eat this."

For the first time since meeting the man, his Friend looked insulted. "And why not?"

"Because he's a baby," the albino rolled his eyes. Really, didn't this man know _anything_? He was really going to have to ask _Vater _when he found him if they could keep this Friend, if just to make sure that he learned all the important stuff. "_Bruder _doesn't have many teeth yet. He can't chew this. That's what _Mutti _told me."

An almost pained expression flashed over the stern features of the blonde. He sighed again, looking extremely putout. "And what did your _Mutti _feed him?"

"Milk."

"Still?"

Yes, he was definitely going to have to beg _Vater _to let them keep this man. While he could apparently hunt and cook, it was still obvious that he didn't know anything about life. But the albino was just generous and kind enough to decide to take the man on and help him learn! _Mutti _said that doing great deeds and being strong made a person awesome, and he certainly wanted to be awesome too! Just like all the gods!

"_Ja,_" he nodded, trying to think of everything his mother had fed the baby. "But she also gave him mushed up food, like _Äpfel _and _Kohl_ sometimes… and I think she did give him a little meat every once and a while. But very small pieces!" he warned. The last thing he wanted was for this man to kill _Bruder _by having the baby choke.

The big man only nodded before he came over to the children. The albino watched curiously as Friend took a piece of meat and began tearing it up into fine pieces. Next, he scooped up the baby and his own plate of food before he went to go sit on the bed, the baby in his lap.

"Hey!" the older boy cried. "Aren't you going to sit here at the table? Why have a table if you're not going to sit at it?"

The blonde looked like he wanted to yell, but ended up shaking his head again. "I do not have any other chairs at the moment, and since I don't want to sit on the floor and eat like a beast, I'm sitting on the bed."

The older boy narrowed his eyed a moment, not sure if _Mutti _would have approved of eating on the bed, before he shrugged. His Friend had a different way of life then what the albino and his brother were used to. Maybe that's why he was so strange and didn't understand anything. The boy decided that it must be pretty sad to have to grow up the way his Friend had, not knowing anything.

"Make yourself useful and go outside and draw some more water, boy," his friend commanded, pulling the child from his thoughts. "We will need more before the morning is out."

"Okay!" the albino exclaimed excitedly.

So, the older boy jumped off the chair after stuffing another piece of meat into this mouth before he ran outside to do as his Friend had asked. It was the least he could do, after all, because this man was going to help him find _Vater_.

**oOoOoOo**

Germania watched the older boy bolt out of the house like a hare and let out a breath of relief. This whole morning had just been bizarre as far as he was concerned. He hadn't gotten any sleep due to almost killing the youngest child, so to keep himself busy and keep his mind away from the events of the previous night he'd gone hunting in the early morning. That had been all right, but he still couldn't get the night's events out of his head. It really had been a jarring experience.

Butchering his kill had been what really helped him relax later. Butchering required concentration so that you would not harm yourself or ruin the meat, which was just the sort of attentiveness Germania needed to give. So, it had been quite easy to forget about things and just worry about working, just like he wanted for a little bit. It had been quite pleasant, actually, to stand out in the early morning, watching the sun as it made its slow accent into the sky and feeling useful.

But good things never can last forever. He had finished preserving most of the meat when he had come into the house only to find that the albino child was awake. It might have been humors to others to think that the Great Germania was afraid of a small boy, but that was the case. He did not want to tell that child who he was, he didn't want to have to admit it again, but he knew it was owed to the boy. The small rabbit had been loyal and brave, had protected his brother to the best of his abilities in the name of his mother. That was something to be commended. It was true valor, though the child lacked the normal graces that went along with such acts. He would make a fine soldier one day.

Squirming in his lap alerted the man that his little charge was still hungry and waiting. The baby didn't voice his protest, but he did begin moving about to get the others attention. When Germania looked down, he found himself caught in the freezing glare of the infant.

It was curious, really, that Germania saw the albino as frightening when he saw the baby as more of the keeper of demons. The tiny blonde had a natural appearance of displeasure, and when agitated, that displeasure seemed to increase tenfold. Such a dark expression on one so young was startling, and Germania knew that this little one would be powerful one day, a force in the world that would have to be reckoned with.

Not wanting to be trapped forever in the burning frost of the infant's gaze, Germania began feeding the baby bits of meat. Obediently, the child opened his mouth without fussing and began chewing as best as his little mouth could. When the man assumed that the other had swallowed, the baby once again opened his mouth, patiently waiting for Germania to put something else in.

It was an altogether new experience for Germania, this feeding of the infant. The whole act reminded the man strongly of a mother bird feeding her starving chick. It might have been considered sweet had the newly discovered father had any inclination to truly see any good in his situation. But seeing as he was looking after this infant quite against his own will, only doing it for the sake of his late lover, he couldn't quite bring himself to find anything about these two children cute.

Sure, he had already admitted to himself that these children were beautiful in their own right, but he just could not see anything that would inspire his own actual liking of them. Thus far they had both been nothing but a nuisance and ungrateful. They used all of his resources but contributed nothing back. In the case of the albino, he was loud and arrogant, presuming that the world loved him just for being alive. Their manners were quite deplorable— not that Germania could rightly judge etiquette— and they seemed to take their good fortune for granted.

Germania was not the most domesticated or "cultured" nation around, but there were still certain rules, still set customs that these two children were noticeably lacking. Was that because Rugii had not taught it to them, or had they both really been on their own so long that they had forgotten them? If he was going to be their father, things were going to have to change. If these two were ever going to survive, thrive in _his _domain, they were going to have to be taught hard lessons.

Placing another piece of meat into his hungry little bird's mouth, Germania watched the boy as he ate, finding himself becoming curious in how small and fragile the little thing really was. A shiver of guilt ran through him when he realized just how close he had come to extinguishing this life the night before. It was a wonder the baby could sit on his lap so calmly after catching him in the almost fatal act.

The door burst open suddenly, startling both blondes considerably. The albino was laboring away with carrying a little bucket of water. Truly, it wasn't that heavy an object, even filled with water, but the little rabbit made it look as though he were carrying the world with him. "I got it!" the older boy called. "I got more water! Can we find _Vater_ now?"

Germania's eye twitched slightly at the rudeness. He was really no stranger to such manners, his own people could hardly be called "civilized" by _Roman_ standards, but there was still a hierarchy to their way of life, one where elders—fathers in particular—were granted respect, meaning that little brats didn't command them and didn't speak so thoughtlessly to them.

"_Nein_," the man growled. "Set the water down by the door and go finish your meal."

The albino's face fell into shocked sorrow before he recovered himself and anger flushed the pale cheeks. "You said that after I got water we'd go find _Vater_! You _promised _you'd take me and _Bruder _into town to find _Vater_!"

"Finish your meal," Germania said sternly, wanting the boy to get used to taking orders from him.

"No," the boy said stubbornly. "You don't control me! You lied! I want to go find _Vater_!"

It was hard for the large nation to sit still and not smack the pout off the boy's stubborn face, the way he had seen many fathers do to their impudent children. The only thing that was keeping the nation still was the fact that he was balancing a plate of food and a baby on his knees. Germania had no desire to clean up wasted food, nor did he want to risk the baby start to scream. Thus far the infant had hardly made a peep, and he would actually prefer to keep it that way.

"Do as I say, _boy_," he growled at the child.

He took pleasure in seeing the young one shrinking ever so slightly and lose his confident air, but sadly enough, the self-assurance came back all too soon. Either that or the child was bluffing. Whatever it ended up being, it made the blonde angry.

"No," the boy stomped his foot on the ground for emphasis. "You lied!"

That was the breaking point for Germania. No one called _him _a liar and got away with it.

Grabbing the plate with one hand and the baby in the other, Germania set them both down on the bed and stalked over the cheeky albino. Had it been anyone else, their anger might have dissipated at seeing how the child lost his bluster and shrink back pathetically once he realized that this lip had gotten him in to trouble, but that was not the case with Germania. He was tired of being called a liar, he was tired of listening to a _child _tell him what to do, he was tired of _children_. None of this were the way things were done, and it was about time the boy learned that.

Without pomp, the nation picked the boy up by the collar of his tunic, and held him up close to his face. "I told you to do something," he whispered venomously, narrowing his eyes into slits. He was pleased to see the little rabbit gulp in fear. "Next time I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it without question. Understand?"

The child was quiet a moment, as if trying to decide if it was safe to even answer. "_J-ja_," the albino nodded quickly.

To the child's distress and Germania's amusement, the boy's eyes widened when he realized that the older nation was not done with him yet as the blonde kept him suspended in air for a moment longer. "_Gut_. And next time, if you disobey me, I will _not _let it go unpunished, understood?"

"_Ja…mein Herr_," the boy nodded.

"_Sehr gut_," Germania nodded once, satisfied that the rabbit would listen to him from now on. None too gently, the blonde plopped the boy back down in his seat. "Eat," he ordered, before turning his back to make his way back to the infant, who was sitting up, watching the whole exchange with a disapproving glint in his icy eyes.

The nation tried to ignore the little bird's penetrating gaze, but a tiny voice from behind him halted Germania in his tracks. "But what about _Vater_?"

Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, Germania tried very hard not to start panicking. It was about time he ended this charade with the albino and just told him the truth. The only problem with that, though, was that he'd have to admit the truth out loud. It was actually more terrifying a thing then one would have suspected. It was even harder to do than charge at Rome with inferior numbers, knowing it was going to be a slaughter.

Taking a moment to breathe in calming breaths, Germania turned to stare at the little elf. The ruby eyes of the child still unnerved him, almost as much as his brother's frosty eyes, but the boy deserved the truth, deserved to know that he had been successful on his quest to find his father. It was what Rugii would have wanted at any rate, and so Germania knew that he was damned to speak the words he didn't want to.

"I am your father," he said bluntly, trying to ignore how the albino's eyes widened with surprise at the statement. "You will live here with me from now on and do as I say. Now, finish your meal."

A thick heaviness came over them as awkwardness settled in the silence, the older child just gawking, not even blinking. Crimson eyes finally did flutter when the information had apparently been digested in his mind, becoming something he was able to understand. Then the boy's face contorted into something confusing, as though he wasn't sure if he should be excited or furious.

"You mean you were _Vater_ the whole time and you didn't even tell me?" the albino demanded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

It wasn't the first time someone had been angry with him—hell, he loved to get under Rome's skin most of the time— but to have this small boy look so hurt, so confused, scarlet eyes accusatory, sad, it brought up unwanted guilt in the blonde. Why should he feel guilty over this? Who was the child to question him?

"It is my right to withhold or answer any questions until I see fit as not only your elder, but as your father as well," Germania said sternly. "It is not your place to question me."

"But that's not fair!" the boy pressed. "I've been planning to find you for so long, and it's not fair that you make me wait longer! _Bruder_ and I have been wandering around for _days _looking for you."

"Silence your tongue, _Junge_," Germania snapped.

"But it's not fair!" the boy stressed. "Why wouldn't you just tell us who you were? Weren't you happy to find us?"

Germania's anger stalled instantly, freezing over cold. He couldn't admit that he had been too scared to say anything at first, and he certainly couldn't admit that he'd had thoughts of either abandoning them or even destroying the littlest one. But the child was staring at him so expectantly he _had _to answer this question, even if he didn't want to.

What would he answer, though? He was not usually one to lie— he was usually one to tell someone exactly what he thought to their face whether they liked it or not without even a blink, but this was different.

"I had to make sure that you were really mine," he said carefully, not sure what exactly he meant by that himself.

The albino also appeared skeptical of the answer; as though he knew there was more to it than the other was letting on. But it was the first stroke of luck all day when the rabbit decided to let the man go for the time being. Crimson eyes stayed narrowed, but slowly, the child nodded.

"So… _Bruder _and I can stay here? With you?" he asked carefully.

Germania took a deep breath. "_Ja_."

For just a moment, Germania believed that the boy would start yelling, perhaps throw the plate at him, or jump onto the table and stomp around, but the boy merely nodded again, clearly trying to reign in his temper. The child was still angry about being deceived, but Rugii had apparently taught the child enough restraint to keep calm. He was silently thanked Rugii for that and that he'd decided to let the youngest live. He was sure that the albino would have been nearly impossible to control had the youngest gone missing.

"You shouldn't have lied," the older boy scowled darkly, for just a moment, looking like an angry god with his cinnabar eyes glistening eerily, as though he were about to smite down an errant mortal. "But I guess _Mutti _did want _Bruder _and I to stay with you… You are Germania?"

"I am," the blonde nodded once, coming out of his stupor. It was in that moment that Germania knew that these two children would certainly be trouble for him. A strong pang ran through him when he realized just what kind of power these two little ones really had over him. They were both strong in their own ways, and sure to cause the great nation many headaches to come.

"And as your father"— the word tasted foreign on his tongue and left a bad taste in his mouth as he tried to go on— "I will expect you, and your brother when he's old enough, to complete chores and to do as I say. I do not know how your mother raised you, but I am certain to be different in my demands."

The albino never lost his suspicious gaze, but he seemed to accept what was being dealt him fair enough. With an air of extreme superiority, the boy jumped from his chair and walked past Germania and over to where his brother sat silently watching the exchange with curious eyes. "_Bruder_," the baby said, reaching out towards the older boy.

Without even look towards Germania, the albino picked up his baby brother and carried him back over to the table. The adult watched with an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as the two went by him. He was still a bit surprised that the albino could carry such a heavy, solid little infant, but somehow he managed, and sat him down on the chair.

Once all this was done, the rabbit turned around to face his father with hard eyes. "I don't know how other kids ever treated you," his voice held astonishing authority to it, one that Germania could not rightly laugh at, "but with _Bruder _and me, it's going be different."

It surprised the great nation that the boy was mimicking his own speech, and he wondered how anything so small could gather up the courage to. "_Bruder _is going to need a lot of care," the older child went on. "He doesn't like loud noises and he doesn't always want to be put down for naps, so you're going to have to sing to him. And I'm still not big enough to chop wood," he admitted, "so that's why I'm going to need a lot of food, so that I grow big and strong.

"And now that you're our _Vater_, you're going to have to watch out for us and protect us. That's what _Mutti _said _Vaters _do. And she also told me that you'd have to make sure that our lands grow big and strong too, and that you'd teach us just exactly how to rule over our own lands," he went on, apparently not aware of how shocked Germania was with all these demands.

"You got to be nice to _Bruder_ too, or else I'm going have to beat you up," the older child said seriously. "_Mutti _said I could."

"Have I given you any reason in which you would believe that I would ever harm you or your brother?" Germania asked, feeling himself sweat. Damn his curiosity! He didn't want the albino to become suspicious, and yet he felt compelled into asking.

"Not yet," the albino shook his head in the negative, "but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to watch you."

Finding himself trapped in the fiery ruby blaze of the elfling's eyes, Germania realized that taking care of these two children was going to drive him completely insane. His time on earth was limited, he knew that now with the infant around, but that little time he had left in the earth would certainly be hell.

"You're _Vater_ now," the older child went on sternly. "So no you gotta be nice and take care of us."

"_Vati_!" the baby cried, obliging Germania with a small smile, warm and affectionate.

Yes, it was certain: Germania was damned.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>And here's the next chapter. Poor Germania~ He knows he's never going to win. ^^

And I feel like I should explain this a little better to all of you since I got questions about it: Names aren't really that important to either Germany or Prussia as of yet, only relationships are. If you noticed, Prussia dances around his mother's name because it wasn't important to him. Rugii was "_Mutti"_ to him, and that was all. And his brother has no name and neither does he. They are who they are and they mark a person by relationship rather than name.

To Prussia, calling Germania "Friend" is more significant and meaningful than asking his name, and it's made that much more important because HE labeled Germania as so, so that, in his childlike mind, his name, just as Rugii was "Mutti" and Germany is "Bruder", now Germania was, at the beginning of this chapter, was "Friend". And if you stop to think about it, don't all little kids to something like this? They don't know their parent's names, they're just "Mommy" and "Daddy".

Hope that makes a little more sense. But now that Germania has officially been labeled "_Vati_" things should get interesting. Especially with Prussia and Germania's attitudes clashing so much. X)

Please review! They're really the only bright things in this college student's life right now! Thanks everyone!

P.S. Happy German reunification day! Fröhliche Tag der Deutschen Einheit!


	4. Chapter 4: Normality?

**Chapter Four: Normality?**

Since admitting that he was the children's father, Germania found his whole world becoming much more complicated than he would have liked. In the beginning, he had originally thought that watching out for the two little children would not be so difficult; all he had to do was feed and water them daily and make sure that they stayed warm. In principle, it shouldn't have been too much different than caring for a small dog or something other weak little animal, but as time went on, the blonde realized that children were a species that he had never encountered before.

For starters, the warrior had believed that the excessive chatter of the albino would cease within a day or so, believing that the boy was trying to find out everything there was to know within the first couple of days. While annoying, in the long run, Germania had thought that it would be to his advantage since after those tedious first days, the boy would eventually run out of things to talk about. That, however, was not the case. It appeared that children _never _ran out of things to talk about, and the only time the little elf wasn't talking, he was usually sleeping. It was depressing, actually, to discover that the oldest boy even talked with his mouth crammed with food.

While the youngest one did not speak much yet, the smaller boy was not old enough to take care of personal hygiene issues on his own. It was actually quite disgusting. The older child usually ended up taking care of it at first, until Loki grinned evilly one day and informed Germania that "_Mutti _always took care of _that _for _Bruder_. You should take care of it."And thus the man was forced to change nappies, a task he had _never _imagined himself _ever _doing. The first time was a terrible experience, the horror only equivalent to Germania's first time in the thick of battle, killing and being wounded, fighting for his very life. Nothing else had been quite as scaring that he could compare nappie changing.

Children, apparently, needed to eat frequently during the day also. Germania had gotten use eating about twice a day and rationed accordingly. The boys seemed to need to eat every four or five hours. The hardened warrior had thought about training them to eat less, but besides the albino whining _unbearably_, the youngest, though usually well behaved, would prove that he could be just as horrifying as his brother, and would let out ungodly, ear-shattering screams until he was satisfied. The first time the baby had let out that piercing scream of his, it had startled Germania so bad that he had nearly fallen out of his chair and he had pulled out his sword, sure that there was a banshee or foul creature nearby ready to attack.

If all this wasn't enough, boy children seemed _insatiably _curious about _everything_. The elf would run here and there, climb up trees and jump into water to satisfy himself with knowledge. Although he wasn't quite sure why, every time he saw the boy jump from a tree or fall into the river, Germania's heart would leap to his throat and he would run off to save the child before he hit the ground or pull him up out of the water. It was usually while he was saving the older boy that the younger would crawl off somewhere, hiding himself so that Germania could not find him. Once, it had taken the man two hours to find the baby after he had crawled off, and the warrior discovered the boy sleeping in a deer thicket. It was after this that Germania seriously thought about tying a string around the infant as he would tether a horse so that he always knew where the tiny bird was at all times.

After five days of this constant torture, the nation was about ready to just end his own life and stab himself through the eye with an arrow. He was not made to watch out for children. That was woman's work as far as he was concerned, and not a nations place at all. Because he had to keep an eye out for the two little demons, Germania fell behind in his patrol along the southern border. He hoped that Rome hadn't noticed his lack of attention yet and was not planning to attack anytime soon. Germania was not sure he could get down there fast enough to help his other children.

Germania, being Germania, had planned for his attention being distracted before and had taken it upon himself to train the boys to become as self reliant as possible. While being tortured, he had also been trying to instill lessons that the children—or at least the older one for the time being—could learn on how to become independent. Nations had a fiercely independent streak ingrained in them, and he hoped that he could bring out this quality in the children as fast as possible…or at least the albino. He was still hesitant with the infant as he worried about his own demise at the hands of the baby.

As chores, Germania showed the older boy the proper way to retrieve water and how to hold the bucket so that the water wouldn't spill out. He also showed the boy the perimeter he was allowed to explore and made sure to threaten the little elf to _never _stray outside of the bounds he had placed. There were wild things in the forest, wolves and bears, that he had no desire to have to kill in order to save the children. And finally, he put the albino in charge of the house, telling him to keep it neat and as clean as possible.

"But why? It's just going to get dirty again," the boy had argued.

"Because I told you to. That should be reason enough to do as I say."

Germania wondered if his lessons ever got through to the boy, but he could only hope and pray to the gods that _something _clicked in the young mind. And so, five days later left the warrior tired from all the extra hunting, gathering, and watching he had to do because of the tiny little nuisances. It truly astounded Germania that Rugii had been able to put up with these two for so long. Her personality never seemed to be the tolerant kind, and when taking care of children, one had to be _all _tolerance.

That night, as he got the rare moment to sit, he was pleased to find that both boys were quiet, and he could relax, if for only a moment. It had been far too long since there had been any peace in the house, and he was thankful that he could simply listen to the crickets outside the house with no high pitched chattering in the background. Though Germania had learned to completely block out the albino's ramblings quite efficiently.

Unbidden, Germania's eyes strayed to the two little children who were now sitting on the bed, playing some sort of game that involved knotting up the string he had given them to play with when the eldest had begged to be entertained. He watched the pair, as the older patiently showed the younger all of the different knots he knew how to tie. It amazed the man just how patient the older boy could be. Thus far, from all of his observations of the children, the albino was rash, loud, demanding, and quite selfish in every area except when it came to his younger brother. For some reason, the little elf was painfully tolerant and protective of the tiny blonde, and the young one seemed as patient with his older brother's antics and somehow seemed truly grateful, as though he knew just what his brother was doing for him.

Germania cocked his head to the side as he watched them. In all of his many centuries, the warrior could not think of a single bond that was as close as these two appeared to be. Closeness with another nation was not common or normally practical when it came to nations as leaders would force two nations apart and create tensions between them. Not even his own relationship with Rugii had been as close, he reflected with bitterness, as she had not trusted him enough with the knowledge that he had fathered these two.

No, what his two sons had was rare and strange. They seemed to be in complete sink with one another, no trace of rivalry or jealousy between them. Germania wondered if such a close relationship could last amongst nations, and he silently hoped that it would for these two.

"_Vati_?"

Germania blinked several times, coming out of his thoughts at the sound of the albino's voice. It was still strange to be called that, but it was becoming more and more accepted and familiar to him. "Yes?" he looked at his son, who had somehow managed to come to stand before him, looking up with big, red eyes.

"Will you tell _Bruder _and me a story?"

The older nation frowned. He had never told a story to be honest, at least not one that had no real purpose. He gave reports mostly, and never stayed around anyone long enough to engage in storytelling. Rugii had told him stories before, as well as some humans and priests, but as for himself, he never really did. He was not confident in his ability, or sure what he could tell the boy exactly that would be of any interest to them. As he was learning, children were quite different than adults, so would they find the same subject matter entertaining?

"I don't know any stories," he responded. And in all honesty, he didn't think he did. Were reports similar to stories? He tried to think back to the old legends and little tails Rugii had once told him.

"Please!" the albino begged, continuing to stare up at his father expectantly. "_Mutti _always told us stories before we went to sleep!"

The new father looked between one son and then to the other before sighing. Parenting was terribly hard, annoying work. He wondered if he could just leave the children with some human family and go about his life. Human women would do a much better job of caring for them than he could, and yet he found he couldn't do it. Rugii had sent them to him for a reason, wanting them to be raised by their father, and he found he could not deny her that one last wish.

Standing up, the blonde made his way over to the bed and sat down. The rambunctious albino bounced over to him and flung himself on the bed next to his father, all smiles. "_Vati's _going to tell us a story, _Bruder_!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Hearing the joy in the small voice, seeing the bright smile that lit up the child's face brought a strange feeling to Germania's chest. It made him feel warm. He promptly pushed down the feeling and ignored it. That feeling had been coming on throughout the last five days and he did not like it at all. It made him feel strange and he wasn't sure if he was getting sick or if the children were messing with his mind.

"Very well," Germania began, flipping through his mind to find something to talk about. As he sat a moment, the albino moved and placed his little brother on one of their father's lap. Before the nation could protest, the older sat on the other leg and smiled up brightly.

"Okay! All ready now!" Loki smirked. "What are you going to tell us a story about? Is it about a chieftain's daughter? Or a brave warrior?"

Annoyed at suddenly having a lap full of children, Germania sighed but decided that it was no use to argue. It was, in the end, simpler to indulge the boys in these sort of thing so that they wouldn't start screaming. His head really couldn't take much more of that kind of abuse. "I will tell you about two warriors," the man said after a moment, deciding on a story he had reported once. "Seventy-eight years ago, there was a great dispute between Boiemum and his brother in the south, Marcomanni."

"Where are they from?" the albino interrupted.

"They are near the south, little rabbit," Germania explained. "It was reported to me by Danduti in the north that the two brothers had gotten into a fight over who controlled what piece of land."

"Why couldn't they just share it?" the rabbit interrupted again.

The innocence of the question bothered Germania, and he found himself pitying the boy. Surely these children would not survive long if they kept this frame of belief. They trusted quite easily once they seemed to get to know a little about a person, and that was not always good. Among nations, it was wise to never trust anyone, not even your allies. After all, he had nearly killed the youngest child, a thought that still shamed him, but it only proved his point. How was it that Rugii had never told these two to be weary? Or perhaps she had tried, and their childish minds couldn't rap around the thought just yet? Perhaps.

"Not all brothers can 'share'," Germania explained. "The land between the two brothers was so intertwined with one another, that they both began to be jealous and suspicious of the other, wondering if the other brother believed they held more power or more land."

"That's stupid," the albino snorted. "_Mutti _said that it was good to share land with your _Bruder_. She said it made you stronger."

Did it? In a way, yes, it did. That was why Boiemum and Marcomanni had survived as long as they had, always helping the other out, but it was because of the suspicion and jealousy that had driven the two apart. There was strength in numbers true, but whoever was in your numbers needed to be watched closely. Nations did not necessarily have friends, and some, like Germania himself, preferred to be loners. There was less likely the chance of being hurt or betrayed that way. Rugii was a good example of why the dominate German personification had, until he had fallen into weakness and took her, abstained from making any real personal connections with anyone.

"It can be beneficial, yes, but not always," the man explained patiently. "It depends on with whom you are trying to share the land. A perfect balance would have to be had for land sharing such as this to work and thrive with little to no rebellions along the way."

Germania waited for that to sink in as the rabbit pouted with thought. "If _Bruder _and me ever shared land, I wouldn't be mean to him. I'd share," the child declared at last.

The warrior blinked at the bold declaration. "What if things were not to go as you plan and your _Bruder_ became jealous or rebellious of what you have? Or what if he became greater than you? What then?"

The older nation was genuinely curious. While he had yet to depart with the children his knowledge of just how much land they would be controlling, Germania knew for certain that his younger son would become, if for only a time, greater than his older. The older boy was Rugii's replacement, the baby, his. It was actually odd how humans put so much value and worth into their eldest, named the older heir even when the older might not be worthy or capable of handling the responsibilities of being the head. Germania hadn't really thought about how much he valued the primogeniture tradition until just then. He wasn't sure if he necessarily liked that the baby would be his heir, but he would think about that later.

As he was lost in thought, the albino didn't hesitate to answer. "He would still be _Bruder_, and _Mutti _told me to watch out for him, so I will, even if he thinks I don't need to. _Mutti _said that big brothers are supposed to always be there for their little brothers. So I will."

The pride and sincerity of the words took the older German back. Again, he was struck at the closeness the siblings shared. He looked to the infant and was not all that surprised to see the baby with a knowing look in his eyes, as though he knew what was being said. Perhaps he did. Personification children were different than human children, of that Germania was sure, but to what extent, having never really been around many personification children in his time, or at least not for very long, and rarely around human children, he could only guess. But the brothers seemed to regard each other with the utmost trust and respect. It was rare to see love between two brothers like this.

"I suppose that is true," was all he could say in return. "Perhaps you should both sleep now? It is getting late."

"But you didn't even hardly begin the story!" the little elf protested. "Can't you go on a little more? Please?"

He wasn't sure what it was exactly, that nagging feeling in the back of his head, that uncomfortable warm sensation that was tingling throughout his body, but if there was one thing that the old warrior knew that he wanted, it was for those odd ruby eyes to quit looking at him like that. Demons and elves had eyes like that, and he wondered again how this little rabbit could possibly be his son. But whatever manipulative powers the boy had over him worked, and a bit reluctantly, Germania found himself telling the rest of the story about his other wayward underlings.

Like all good reports and tales, Germania made sure that he did not skimp on any details, and told his sons of the noble, traditional fighting techniques used to settle arguments among nations. He described the weapons used, and the wounds received by both parties in gruesome detail. The phrases, "it bled as freely as the river" kept popping up into his story, along with "as the flesh hung limply, barely hanging onto the bone."

Germania had never been called on to give such an in depth report like this, but seeing as neither children knew of the conflict or any details, he found it necessary to explain everything so that the boys had a clearer picture of the event that had taken place. While it was new to him to tell a story like this for the sole purpose of entertain, he found that it was a rather enjoyable experience. He could see why humans and Rugii had enjoyed it so much. And although he would never admit it, he was also pleased with how engaged his audience was. Though the baby had fallen sleep about halfway through the tale, the little albino sat staring up at him with raped attention, mouth open in a small "o".

When the story was done and over, Germania and his eldest stared at one another for a long moment, before the child smiled up at him. "That was a good story," he said after a moment. "_Mutti _never told stories like _that _before."

"I am not your mother." He had meant to be factual, but the second the words were out of his mouth, Germania felt a pang of regret and sorrow. Why was it that the woman had been out of his life for so long now, yet no matter when he thought of her, he still became sad? He should have gotten over her. That's what real men did, they didn't spend their time whining and blubbering over the loss of some woman. And yet, Germania did.

Letting out a small sigh, he looked down at the baby that was sound asleep in one arm. "Get your brother ready for bed, _ja_?" he said softly.

The albino, for once, seemed to realize his father's change in demeanor, and didn't complain or make some sort of sassy remark. Instead, the elf crawled out of his father's lap and began making his little nest for his brother, like he always did. Germania watched his fairer child work before looking down at the baby in his arms.

_How long will you permit me to stay in this world_? He thought. The thought of fading away scared Germania as it would scare any being. But as he looked into the serene face of his youngest, something told him that death might not be such a bad thing after all. That's where Rugii was, after all, in death's keep, and anywhere where his beloved was couldn't be all bad, could it? He would get to be with Rugii then, though he would have to give up everything else he had on this earth. While he missed his lover to the point of near total depression, he couldn't help but want to stay in the world just a little bit longer. After all, these two little brats needed him, didn't they? What would Rugii think of him should he go into the afterlife without securing their children's wellbeing?

Turning back around, the tired warrior found the boy had finished preparing for bed. As gently as he could, Germania placed the tiny blonde within the folds of the blankets. Once he was satisfied that the baby wouldn't get cold, he stood to leave, blowing out most of the candles. He still had things to prepare, after all, make sure that the area was secure, maybe gather some news while the boys slept…

"_Vati_?"

Germania turned and found himself once again trapped within red orbs. The older boy almost glowed in the dark as the moonlight reflected on him, lighting up his pale features. It didn't seem to matter how many days had passed since he had first been introduced to the two boys, no matter how many times he saw them, he could not deny that they were beautiful. It was at these times, when the world seemed still and the children calm, that Germania could see their mother in them, all of her delicate features were still in this world, she had merely given them away to the two creatures she had loved most.

"Yes?" he answered, not sure why he was lowering his voice.

The elder child jumped up from off of the bed and ran to where his father stood. Before Germania knew what was happening, the boy latched onto his leg. The older nation froze as he stared down at the child, confused. The albino looked up after a moment, smiling brightly. "Thanks for the story, _Vati_."

For reasons unbeknownst to Germania, his face heated up. He came to understand that the boy's actions were what many might call a hug, though it had been on his leg. The hardened warrior could not think of a single instance in which he had been hugged by anyone, save Rugii. But then again, that had been a strange and… intimate sort of thing. It wasn't the same as this.

Flustered, the blonde looked a way for a moment before grunting. "Yes. Get to bed, runt," he muttered.

"_Gute Nacht!_" the boy whispered loudly before rushing back over to his brother and climbing up as carefully and quickly as he could.

Again, there was something about the way his son had acted that made the Germania feel…odd. He didn't like being embarrassed by a simple word or phrase that his son said to him, and he certainly didn't want them to think that he was starting to like them. No, they were little pains, little headaches that made him miserable from dawn until dusk. But there was something about the children when they were quiet and cheerful that made Germania calm too. He wondered if they had magic that he had yet to truly detect. Perhaps he should go speak with Britannia on the matter.

Shaking his head away from all of the annoyingly irrational thoughts that kept coming into his mind, Germania blew out all of the candles, save one, and walked outside. It was getting pretty exhausting to always be going to and fro from the house to one of his nearby territories all the time. He was use to simply camping out when he made his rounds, only coming home when everything was peaceful and he believed he could get away with it. He had always associated his home with peace and quiet, a time when he could be by himself and not have to worry about anyone else. Unfortunately, that no longer seemed to be the case.

And now that he seemed to have become more and more nocturnal, there was little chance for the German to rest at all. He was use to rising at dawn, to begin the day and go in perhaps only a couple hours after dark. Because last several days had been filled with children, Germania had not had the pleasure of keeping this routine. He practically had to watch the children at every hour of the day, and only go out at night. If that wasn't bad enough, he knew that he was probably going to have to hunt again soon, seeing he was taking care of two other mouths and not just himself anymore.

What had Rugii been thinking when she made up her mind to keep the two little monsters that were called children? What had been her reasoning behind it? She had never been the sort of woman to fawn over small creatures, nor was she particularly caring or gentle. Rugii had been a warrior, hardened by weather, war, and disease, not necessarily tender or compassionate. So where had the caring streak come from for her to decide that she wanted to give up her life for her eldest?

A sudden thought crossed Germania's mind causing him to scowl. Children were replacements, replacements were the messengers of death. Had Rugii become pregnant and gone on her way, had the eldest boy, and taken too long to decide if she had wanted to keep him, and was then stuck with him? Was that a possibility? That thought was nothing new, Germania had wondered it before, but what angered him was the idea of Rugii planning on getting pregnant again, knowing that she would die soon, and then plotting to take her lover down with her.

Surely the woman couldn't have known that she would get pregnant again after only one night. And yet Rugii plotting out his own death so that she wouldn't be the only one to fade didn't really surprise him as much as it probably should have. That's why he had fallen in love with her, after all. He had loved her wicked sense of humor and her cleverness, but that unfortunately came with her selfishness and viciousness as well.

Sighing, Germania decided that he should think of anything like that for too long. It only upset him and gave him headaches. Rugii's motives in keeping her first child was a mystery, and for the second boy, it was better to just not think about it. He would rather remember Rugii as a good lover and not the one that had, essentially, found the perfect poison to kill him with.

Coming to a halt on the bank of the river, Germania sat down looking out over the water in the moonlight. He had almost killed the littlest one here not a week ago. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. Despite everything that he'd done, everything that he was, Germania didn't want to think of himself as a murderer to his own children. It's not as though he hadn't killed children before, far from it as he'd been on raids with groups of his people, but for some reason, he just couldn't think of harming something that _he _had created.

Perhaps that was it. Germania's existence was based upon the people's belief in him, their culture, their language, just _them_. They had created him, almost from the very beginning Germania had always been. People made up factions amongst themselves, made different tribes, made other personifications, but he had remained. He was revered by the humans, respected by others of his kind. He had always watched as humans and other personifications made others of their own kind. Humans had heirs, personifications, replacements.

Germania rarely involved himself with anyone, not wanting to get caught up in the emotional drama or become attached to anyone, and so he had remained alone. He was naturally reclusive, enjoying being by himself more than being with others, so he had little need for companions, though he did not mind seeing others from time to time. There was just something about being alone that pleased him. It was when he could sit and think without interruption or worry about anyone else. He could do as he wished.

As time when on, and more personifications began appearing, Germania found that his alone time was becoming less common each passing year. He was made to watch out for his people, and now that included his people's other personifications. He couldn't watch out for them from affair as he once had, he had to get involved.

And then the Roman threat had come in…

Times were certainly not what they had once been. Time was more complicated than he had ever imagined it would be at the beginning. Years went by, wars were fought, peoples came and went, and still Germania remained. There was little to threaten him. The other personifications did not know exactly what he was, and loved their own tribes better than any other, not understanding that Germania was over them all, any within his territory. Once he had made them submit to him, they were loyal and never challenged him and the world seemed normal. It was funny how it only took one smart-mouthed woman to come in and topple his control.

Well, Rugii might have essentially found a way to kill him, but Germania could not dismiss the fact that she had died first. And while perhaps morbid, the warrior couldn't help but find some happiness in the fact that while he would die, he would also get a change to be with his lover again in the next life. Losing her in this world had been nearly unbearable, and when he had found out that she had faded away, he had been devastated, worried that he might never get to see her again. He had tried to cover up those fears with his anger at the thought of her being with someone else, and then his shock at finding out that he was a father.

Looking out at the water, a small smile slipped onto the older personification's face. Yes, he might die soon, but at least he knew that he had a replacement. At least he knew that he'd be joining his lover again soon and would be able to tell her in the next life that he had done as she had wished and kept the children, had raised and protected them until his time on the earth had run out.

He saw Rugii's smiling face shined up at him from the water, and he longed to go to her. But he was still needed in the world yet, and he would have to wait a little longer before he saw her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay, but school work comes before story time, I'm afraid. And let me tell you, school's been making sure that it was in the foreground of my life recently. But on a happy note, I did write a play based on Shakespeare's _Macbeth _yesterday, so that was fun!

OH! I just thought this was something fun to share: in my chemistry and biology class this week we were making hypothetical children, getting paired up with someone and using our traits to make a child. I admit that I'm quite pale and I also have blonde hair and blue eyes. I was partnered with a guy that was also blonde and blue. When we were rolling the dice for abnormalities of skin color, guess what? My baby turned out ALBINO! XD It also happened to be a boy, so I told my partner I wanted to name him Gilbert, and he totally let me! XD Isn't that fun? I thought it was. So I just wanted to brag, I guess, that I have a fictional albino baby named Gilbert….okay, enough personal life story telling…^^''

**History: **The two territories in the story were real places and were positioned about where in northern Bavaria/Czech. Republic is today.

**Note: **Thanks to DA4TheFunOfIt again for being awesome! ;) And please drop me a review if you'd be so kind. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks everyone!


	5. Chapter 5: Visitations

**Chapter Five: Visitations**

"_Nein_."

"But _why_?" the young voice whined.

"_Vati_!" the baby cooed.

"Because I _said_ so."

"That's not a reason!"

"_Vati_!"

Germania clenched his teeth together in irritation. He counted backwards slowly from ten, trying his damnedest not to lose his temper. "_Hör mal zu_," he hissed venomously, glaring down at the young boy in front of him with all the anger he could must and not falter by the innocent look he was receiving from the boy. Despite the odd feeling of guilt that came over him about snarling, the blonde went on as the boy shrunk back slightly. "You do _not _question my authority, _Kleiner_. When I give you an order or tell you something, you _do _it. No questions. I have reasons for what I say and do."

The little albino stared up into the clearly displeased face of his father for several moments, blinking those crimson eyes harmlessly, as though he truly did not understand why he was being scolded. "But I don't _wanna _clean away the food."

It took all of Germania's strength not to slap his forehead out of frustration. Of all the children in the world, why did his have to be so dense? "It doesn't matter if you _want _to do it or not, rabbit, the point is it needs to be done. So _do it_."

"But—"

"_Vati_!"

"No buts!" At last, Germania exploded, shouting down at the child, as though the youngster was really some sort of threat. "Do as I say or I'll take you over my knee."

Again, the boy frowned, though appearing oddly smug and arrogant, something that Germania could not _tolerate_. "Going over your knee doesn't sound so bad," he snorted, crossing his arm. "I'd rather do that than clean."

This time Germania didn't stop himself from slapping his forehead. Either his son was simple or he really was so young he didn't understand anything. Had Rugii been so lax in discipline with these boys? Why didn't they seem to know how to do _anything_? It had been about three weeks since the children had come into Germania's life, and he was already considered slitting his throat just to get away from the excessive whining and crying and nappy changing. Death was sounding more and more appealing every time the albino opened that gaping mouth of his.

"_Vati_!"

"Come here then," the warrior said, his voice deceitfully gentle. The boy had to learn. "If you don't want to clean, I'll take you over my knee," he almost purred.

Puffing out his little chest, as though he had won some grand victory, the older boy stuttered over to his father, causing the old nation to scowl at the cocky display of attitude. If the boy was ever going to make it in the world, the _first _thing that had to go was that manner of his. Young nations didn't live long unless they knew their place and learned some humility amongst their elders.

As the boy came to Germania, the blonde couldn't help the self-righteousness he himself felt as he took the boy in his hands and carefully laid him over his knee. He could just see the albino's thoughts flash over his face. The child truly believed that things would not be so bad; he believed that he had won. But Germania knew better. He knew _much _better.

"Comfortable?" the new father asked almost snidely.

"_Vati_!"

"I guess," the boy grumbled, still trying to adjust himself over his father's leg.

And without any other warning, the great and terrible Germania struck, distributing his wrath—not in full, to be sure!—on this naïve son.

_THWACK! _

"AAAAAHHHH!" the boy cried.

But despite the surprised, pathetic cry, Germania didn't relent. He kept at the punishment with a stern expression. He had never been one to be swayed by the cries of others, or if he had been at one time, he could not remember. Pity was something that had been bled out of the barbarian nation long ago, at a very young age. It was not something nations could afford to feel, and Germania himself had made it a point to avoid this feeling.

He was a man that was not easily dissuaded from a task, so after five wacks on the bottom, Germania released his teary eyed son and stood him up. The little albino was crying, one hand rubbing the tears from his eyes while alternatively, the other hand was rubbing his still stinging bottom. "Y-y-you hit me!" the child whimpered, looking furious, humiliated, and in pain all in one look.

Crossing his arms sternly, the blonde stared down at his son. "You want another time over my knee?"

"_NEIN_!"

Pleased with the answer and the proper amount of fear in those red eyes, Germania nodded. "Then do as I say and clean up, Loki_._"

Sniffling, the older boy nodded miserably, still eyeing his father warily with lingering tears, not turning his back to the blonde, as though afraid the warrior would attack him again. Although Germania was sure that he was probably the worse father in the history of the world—not because he had spanked his son as _that _had been justified, but more to the fact that he didn't know what the hell parents were supposed to do—he could help but feel amused as he watched his son scurry away. The albino's features were just so animated and laughable.

"_Vati_!"

Sighing, Germania at last turned to look at the younger boy, who was sitting up looking highly disgruntled at being ignored for so long. Standing up stiffly, the man lumbered over to the baby and scooped up the infant with now practiced skill. "And what is it that you want, little chick?" he murmured. "Are you hungry again, greedy piglet?"

"_Vati_!" the baby said simply in replay, and snuggled down into this father's arms, looking content, as though he had finally won a great prize that had been owed him.

There were times when the father had believed that his youngest son was not as selfish as his older brother, but other times he realized that babies were perhaps the greediest creatures he'd ever had the displeasure of coming in contact with. They cried for no reason, they _always _wanted to be held, they ate all the time, and they constantly made a mess. But the worst sin of all that they committed, one that Germania wasn't sure he could forgive, was the fact that they could not control their bowls. The blonde was tired of getting spit up upon and pissed on, and having to clean up all the shit. He was a warrior, not a nursemaid for Woden's sake!

With the baby on his hip and the albino clearing away the table, Germania sighed and realized what was happening all too clearly with distress. He was a mother now. There was no way around it. He was doing all the work of a woman, taking care of the children, and cooking meals. Even though he had never considered himself a particularly arrogant man, he still had some pride, and it was severely hurting. Women were the ones to look after the offspring, not the men. This was very wrong.

"_Vati_," the baby said again, tugging at his hair, sitting up, looking as alert as he had when he had first been trying to get his father's attention at the beginning.

"_Ja ja_, I've got you, _Kleiner_," he muttered, bouncing the baby a bit, hating how feminine he found the act.

"_Vati_."

"Stop your babbling," the man murmured. "_Vati _doesn't want to hear it right now." _Dear Woden, did I really just refer to myself as _Vati_?_

"_Vati_?"

"What?" Germania snapped, turning around to glare at his eldest son who dared to speak up after having gotten punished only a short time ago. He was so sick of hearing that damned word! All these children did was call out to him. It was always "_Vati_, I'm hungry" "_Vati_, I'm tired" "_Vati,_ I don't want to clean." Well, Germania was tired of it. Did they really not understand how annoyingthey were? It would be so much easier to just find them some nice humans to dump off at. Then all of his troubles would be over.

The albino, eyes still puffy from having cried, was now glaring at his father, hands posted disapprovingly on his little hips, reminding Germania much too starkly of Rugii when she was annoyed with him. "There's someone here," the boy's voice was flat, almost bored.

Snapping his eyes over to the door, Germania beheld that there was indeed someone standing just outside, staring with incredibly wide eyes. The image was that of the Great Germania, _der Vaterland_ of the region, the personification of the whole "barbarian" world— as the Romans like to call it— standing in the middle of his house, rocking a baby in his arms, with another young boy clearing off the table, with something cooking over the fire. The image was wholesome, completely domestic and homey…certainly not the image another personification or human would conclude while thinking about the recluse Germania.

Germania and the intruder stared at each other a moment longer, before the guest burst out laughing, clutching his sides as he cackled loud and long, even as the older personification growled, trying his hardest to ward off the flush of embarrassment he knew was coming over his face. Of all the times they could have come, they had chosen to come now!

Standing up as straight and proud as he could with the infant still in his arms, Germania glared at his guest furiously. "What the hell are you doing here, Gothones?" he growled.

Gothones, still gasping for air, was holding his sides, as his merriment continued. "S-stop! Stop! P-please! It's t-too much" he gasped before bursting out laughing. "Ahahaha! I can't breathe!"

The blonde snarled hatefully at the unwelcome visitor, especially after he saw his eldest boy starting to smile along with the other man, apparently catching the same mirth that plagued Gothones. "What do you want, Gothones?" Germania growled.

After another moment of laughing and trying to calm himself down, the brunette settled, whipping the tears from his eyes. "By the gods, I needed that!" The blonde didn't dignify the exclamation with an response. "What the hell's this?" he continued to leer, looking about the room and at the two children. "Going into the slave business, are we? Aren't they a little young to be of any use? Who would want to buy things like these? They might still die before they grow to be worth a profit."

"I _won't _ask you again," the dominate personification snapped.

The brunette smirked cheekily at the other man before striding into the room with an air of such superciliousness, it was stifling. The intruding personification sat down at the table, in one of the new chairs Germania had made, before propping his feet up. "Just came by for a visit. Glad I did," he grinned smugly.

Glaring coldly, the older man slapped the feet off of his table, nearly sending the other tipping over backwards. How darethis idiot disrespect him in such a manner? No one had everdone something like this to him before…except for Rugii, but that was different. She was the only one who could _ever _do something like this to him, but that's because it had been her way of flirting. Gothones…well he did it because he was an ass. Always had been.

"If that's all you came here for, then you can get the hell out," Germania growled. "I don't want to see you."

The blonde's desire to have the idiot gone was not just because he was embarrassed about being caught as a nursemaid. Gothones was egotistical, single-minded, and cruel. Whenever the northeastern nation was around, Germania felt the uncontrollable urge to kill the bastard. Gothones had come down from the North Land, leaving behind his brothers to settle on the outskirts of Germania's land to begin his reign of terror, before being conquered by the blonde. The fight between the two men had been bloody and bitter, the rivalry between the two had been set in stone. Their personalities clashed so horribly it was a wonder they hadn't killed one another by now.

But that wasn't the main reason why Germania didn't want to see his eastern most territory. It was the fact that he had no desire to see Rugii's brother.

Germania had never learned if they had been blood sibling. He didn't know nor did he care, but the fact was that Gothones had claimed the girl early on in her life, raised her in his own supercilious ways for reasons that no one knew, nor could fathom. And the rest was history. The two were not particularly close, or at least Rugii never spoke much of the man that had raised her, but Gothones took his role as older sibling—if indeed he waseven older—seriously. Despite her attitude, Rugii's people were actually fairly quiet, though with an inner viciousness that would flare up every so often that was required for surviving in the area that she had lived and controlled.

When studying the two siblings, it was easy to see that they were…similar. In ways. Seeing Gothones again, a sneer resting so familiarly on his face, made Germania's blood boiling, but it also made him long for seeing his Rugii again.

"Aw, don't be cruel with children present," the other nation broke Germania from his thoughts. "What kind of example are you setting? They might not want to join your little coalition you've been building all these years."

"Who are you?" Germania watched in horror as the little albino jumped off of the block he had been using to put the dishes away and began wandering closer to the brunette.

"You mean you don't know me?" Gothones gasped in mock-horror. "I am the awesome Gothones, kid. The Scourge of the East. I wouldn't forget that if I was you."

The boy seemed absolutely fascinated with the new man, but once the child was within reach, Germania grabbed him and pushed him behind his leg. He knew he was presenting the scoundrel with the perfect image of a mother hen, but he couldn't worry about that now. There were just some things that were more important. "Get the hell out of my house," he ordered firmly. "You're not welcome here. I told you to come only for business."

Something in the brunette's blue eyes flashed, but it was covered before Germania could actually tell what he was hiding. "I did come on business," he nodded, looking a bit grim for a moment, before it passed and he was smiling again. "But I'll only dispense with my business when you answer my questions about ...these things," he gestured towards the boys.

"What makes you think you can barge in here and demand anything from me?" the blonde growled, struggling to keep the albino behind his legs while also fighting the urge charging forward to beat the other man into a bloody pulp.

"Well, if you don't," a cruel smirk spread slowly over the brunette's lips, "I'll tell everyone you're harboring a demon. What would the people think if they knew you were caring for a tricky little elf?"

The room fell silent. The two grown personifications glared at one another for a long time, and as every second that went by, Germania felt a hatred so hot burn inside of him, he thought he might actually catch fire. But in the overwhelming silence, the baby turned around to stare at the stranger with a bored expression about his small features. When Gothones saw the baby clearly, he burst out laughing once more. "What the hell is this?" he cackled. "You went out and found an elf and then a miniature you? Ahahaha! I mean, come on! That little thing looks just like…"

The mirth faded into a nervous giggle, before it turned into crushing silence as understand dawned on the brunette, and his mouth fell open slightly. He ran an anxious hand through his thick, dark mane, his shock disappearing into a cold calculation. Germania was old and experienced enough not to move a muscle and kept his face neutral, lest he give the other a chance to pounce.

Slowly, Gothones frowned. "These little creatures aren't your newest conquest of land, are they?" The dark blues bore into the blonde's light. "At least not that one," he motioned to the baby. "It's…It's a replacement, isn't it?"

Whatever else Gothones was, he was not stupid. If he had been, he wouldn't have survived switching land and coming to settle on the main land. He was a wily nation, and one that was to be watched carefully. Despite his acts or disinterest, more often than not, he was watching, observing. It was this combine with his cruelty that made him such a formidable foe, one that was capable of a great many horrors if he put his mind to it. The elder warrior did not like the calculating expression that overcame the other man's face.

But all this aside, what really bothered Germania more than even the loudest whining the albino could muster that the other man had daredcalled _his _children by the demeaning title of _it_. This insult sprang to the foreground in his mind. It didn't seem to matter that in the beginning Germania himself had called the children in such a way. The lack of respect infuriated Germania more than anything had in a long time; that this ass thought he could flounce in and dare to insult him and debase his children! Rugii's children!

Ignoring the questioning gaze, Germania snorted disgustedly, sneering right back, working hard on remaining calm. "What business brought you here?"

Gothones scowled, realizing he wasn't going to be getting any answers from the stubborn blonde. He turned his deceivingly pleasant eyes towards the red that were peering up at him from behind Germania's leg. "_Hallo, kleiner_, and who might you be?" the eastern territory smiled deceitfully, changing tactics.

Before Germania could order the boy not to speak, sure enough, the little albino jumped out from behind his barrier to stand proudly before the other. "I don't know," he exclaimed, smiling happily in only the way a young boy could. "But I live here with _Vati _and _Bruder_."

Germania nearly groaned, but Gothones beamed. "You don't know? So your _Vati_," he smirked up at the blonde, "didn't tell you who you are or what your land is yet? That's not very nice, is it?"

_He's trying to turn my own son against me! _Germania thought as a low growl escaped his throat. But again, the albino beat him to the punch. "I know _what_ land I have!" he rolled his crimson eyes cheekily. "_Mutti _told me that! _Vati _just doesn't know my name yet."

"Oh? And who was _Mutti_?"

"_Sohn_," Germania snapped, ignoring the triumphant look the other man was giving him as he admitted the relationship himself. "Take _Bruder _and go play. Outside."

The albino turned to stare at his father confusedly. "Why?"

"Remember what we talked about?" he frowned down at the boy, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

The child looked as though he might start to complain, but once he actually noticed how ridged and angry his father truly was, he snap his mouth closed and seemed to recall the spanking he'd received not all too long ago and nodded quickly, a flash of panic going through those ruby eyes of his. With all the care one could, the boy took a hold of his little brother and carried the solid little one towards the door obediently.

"Stay in the areas I told you to stay in," Germania reminded the child, who nodded before going out without another word. A part of the blonde was concerned that something might happen to the children, that maybe Gothones had brought someone else with him who was still outside, but that was not very likely. No one wanted to be around the brunette longer than necessary.

But once the two men were alone, the blonde sprang into action and grabbed the brunette by the front of his tunic, snarling. "You have to count of three to tell me what it is that you have to say or be thrown out of here and into the river with a stone tied around your neck. _Eins_."

"This isn't very hospitable of you, you know that Germania," Gothones drawled.

"_Zwei_."

"So who is their mother? I only ask because she must be a formidable woman to have goaded you into actually _keeping _those things."

"_Drei_."

True to his word, Germania smashed Gothones' head into the table with all the sheer force and power that came from being the dominate personification, before attempting to drag the imbecile out to make good on his threat.

"It's about my sister!" the other personification finally came clean, thrashing about violently, attempting to twist out of the larger German's hands.

At hearing the confession, the strong hold of the blonde slackened considerably, giving the other the chance he needed. Staggering away to a safe distance, Gothones glared at the other man indignantly, clearly resenting the treatment that he had just been dealt him. His glare also seemed due to the fact that he had to admit that he came to seek help from the elder. "I need to know where she is. I can't find her anywhere. I've looked for so long." His voice dropped down into a sad mutter.

Germania's heart leapt to his throat, but he glared hatefully at the other nation, eyes full of melancholy. The pain of his lover's loss was still too fresh, too intense in Germania's heart for him to talk about. Any talk of her infuriated the blonde. It was like aggravating a festering wound with salt. Thinking of her brought a heaviness to Germania's heart, one that he wasn't sure could ever be lifted again.

"What makes you think I know where she is?" he asked, glaring at the floor. "I haven't seen her in many years."

At this news, Gothones looked up, fear alighting those sharp eyes of his before it was squashed down into seemingly nothing. "It's your job as the expanse of the territories to know where she is," he snarled before adding more reluctantly, "And she liked you. She often spoke of you. I had thought that perhaps you might know what's become of her."

Playing guessing games and willfully deceiving someone in such an unbeneficial manner was not in Germania's character. He could care less about the man before him, but that didn't mean he believed it was right or advantageous to lie to the man. If the brunette ever found out what had happened later on should Germania not tell him now, Gothones would probably try and take some sort of revenge by rebelling and raising hell throughout the east. Or worse, he could ally with Rome.

Taking a deep breath, Germania clenched his teeth together. "She's dead."

Strangely, the room seemed to become colder, a thick tension settled over the two warriors who faced each other. The older personification watched the many stages of grief and horror fight for dominance on Gothones' features, but in the end, suspicion and hatred won the day.

With a shaky, deep breath, the brunette asked, "And why is it that you know this?" His tone was menacing. "Could it be that you had something to do with her death?"

Germania looked down.

"You filthy bastard," Gothones hissed, stalking closer to the bigger man. "You did, didn't you? You killed her!"

The accusations hurt, but more from the fact that Germania couldn't fully deny it. After all, it was his fault she became pregnant, it was his fault that he let his feelings get in the way of not seeking her out more urgently before she faded. But what would he have done had he found her? Kill the albino? Could he have? He couldn't kill the baby, so how could he have killed the older boy? Would it have been different if Rugii was still there, still alive? Would she have even listened to him and let him kill the boy?

The "what ifs" of the situation were too much and unhelpful. The matter was that Germania would never know how it all could have been as it was all in the past. There was no use agonizing over what could have been. The past was there to offer lessons, nothing more. Looking back too much would only cause you to stumble in the present.

"Who took her land?" Gothones went on, unaware of the turmoil he had caused the great warrior. "Did some eastern nation conquer her? Kill her? You disgusting, slimy coward! While you were out fucking some bitch until she spawned those little bastards of yours—"

Before Germania could think better of it, he punched Gothones. The brunette, caught off guard, fell down to the ground, blood pouring from his nose as a slightly dazed expression overcame his face.

"Speak of my lover and my children in such disgraceful terms again, and I will cut you open and feed your entrails to the eagles," he hissed.

Recovering remarkable fast, Gothones stood, nearly spitting with rage. "I'll speak of them as I like! Maybe if you weren't so busy fucking all of the damn time, you could have helped my sister! Who has her land now?" he demanded, hands balled into fists at his side.

Once more, the two warriors were at a standoff, glaring at one another with total abhorrence, willing the other to die then and there. But Germania found he could not fault the other man, a fact that infuriated him even more, because without the other man knowing, they were fighting for the honor of the same woman.

"Who?" Gothones screamed, grabbing the blonde's tunic.

Germania looked away.

Frustrated, the eastern territory pushed the other away. "If you won't tell me, maybe those little brats of…" the threat trailed off, and dark blue eyes widening with understanding. The blonde tensed.

Turning back around slowly, Gothones stared at Germania incredulously, his mind beginning to puzzle together the many riddles around him. "The boy?" he whispered, shocked. "Those…those are her children?"

Germania said nothing.

"It _was _your fault," the brunette snarled. "You ruined my sister and made her produce your wicked spawn!"

"How can you speak of them so when they are hers?" the blonde demanded, readying himself in case of another fight. "She cared for them above her own life!"

"It's _your _fault she even _had _to make the decision!" Gothones countered. "Had you stayed away from her like I always told you to, she would have never gotten pregnant and then she would have never of had to make the choice to keep or kill those little creatures!"

"I was not the one to actively seek her," Germania defended. "She wanted this, it is not my fault."

"Liar! I bet you urged her to keep that little albino, didn't you? You're just like all those humans, aren't you? Too selfish, wanting your own flesh to carry on!"

"Had I even known about the boy, I assure you I would have urged her to get rid of him as well," the blonde admitted, a vile tang seeping into his mouth as he did so.

"You didn't know?" Gothones paused a moment, before his bitter sneer was back. "What kind of lover are you to abandon her?"

Although he was loathed to admit it, Germania felt he had no choice but to tell the truth. "_She _abandoned me." His voice came out much softer than he had wanted it.

The brunette scoffed. "I'm sure. That's why she produced another child with you."

"You do not have to believe my words, but they are true nonetheless."

"Well you're right, I don't believe you," the eastern nation snorted, looking out the window at the children who were innocently playing in the grass. Germania's heart leapt into his throat as he noted the furious twinkle in the other's eyes.

"Killing the boy now won't bring her back," he kept his voice steady. "She obviously wanted him to live, otherwise she would still be here."

Gothones glared back at Germania, sneer back. "And what of the infant?" he asked coldly. "She bore him too, but he is _your _replacement, is he not? It is not fair that you should live on while she was scarified."

The blonde thought back to the night beside the river. "No," he said quietly, but it grabbed the others attention. "She bore him for me and I shall honor her. My time left on this earth is now numbered. My youngest will succeed me."

The younger man stared for several agonizing minutes, his features slowly unknotting into an almost mournful, quiet acceptance. Gothones would never openly show his grief or other shameful emotions, but he could not always keep it from his eyes, hard as he tried. Germania knew that the shorter man was grieved to hear of his sister's loss, helplessly angry about the situation they found themselves in, and yet strangely approving of Germania's decision to fade when the second boy grew. It was as though Gothones felt justified, that his sister would be avenged by the death of her lover. But that was fine with the blonde, as he felt the same. How could he choose to live on much longer without her?

"The baby…will live to adulthood?" the brunette asked quietly.

Looking out at the children, seeing the albino pointing out different things to his brother animatedly, chattering about as he was wont to do, Germania found his sorrow easing. Not gone, never gone, but eased, not as sharp. These were his and Rugii's children, little ones that they had created together when in perfect harmony with each other. They did not tear he and Rugii apart forever as he had once believed, but because the two were together, they opened their parents up to care for them and others. They were beautiful, and because of them, one day Germania would be reunited with his beloved in the afterlife.

"If I have my way," he nodded slowly, feeling strangely calm.

The brunette studied him again before nodding, whipping the blood from his nose onto his sleeve. "Then my business here is completed…for the time being." The two men stared out at the children as the albino stood his brother up, holding his hands, trying to help the baby walk. Germania's lips lifted ever so slightly from his former frown.

"What are they called?" Gothones asked gently.

The father paused a moment. He had never thought to call them anything in particular; he usually just called them whatever came to his mind first. When they were older they would be known by their tribal names, but since they were both too young to have fully formed as of yet, they would need consistent names to be called.

Lifting a hand, Germania pointed to the albino. "He is East. The little one, West."

"After their parents, I see." Gothones snorted. "I suppose I must be satisfied. But," he turned hard eyes upon his elder. "I will be around, watching. Should you try to harm the littlest one and not uphold your promise, I will kill you myself for my sister's honor."

Germania glared back coldly. "If I wanted to live, the baby would dead by now. Even if I did kill him," he added as an afterthought, "I doubt you could kill me. Do not forget your place."

The eastern personification scowled, but nodded. "Then I have nothing left to say. I'll take my leave of you."

With a stiff nod of the head out of respect for authority of the blonde, Gothones left. Germania watched as he walked by the children and stared down at them as the little ones looked up in confused awe at him, probably fascinated at the sight of blood, before the man stalked back out into the woods and was gone.

Once his rival had gone, Germania's muscles began to relax and he felt as though he was finally able to breathe again. He hadn't noticed how his hand had gone to his dagger as he'd watched.

Walking outside, the young father stared down at the children, who seemed intent on trying to look for Gothones in the woods. The albino still had the baby standing on wabbly feet. The sight of this left Germania's heart feeling a little warmer than before. "You may come in if you wish," he said gently, so as not to startle them.

The two looked up at the sound of their father's voice, and instantly the baby smiled while the albino stared up at his father as though he were a god. "_Vati_!" the older boy exclaimed. "He had _blood _on him! Did you make him bleed?"

"_Ja_." There was no use lying to them about it.

The wicked smile of Rugii shined through in her eldest even as his ruby eyes sparkled brightly. "_Vati _is awesome!" he exclaimed, hugging his little brother closer to him.

Germania smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>The use of the words "piss" and "shit" I used intentionally. They were both original Anglo-Saxon words, meaning it's been in the "Anglish" (English) language since forever. They're not bad words in actuality, the French/Normands just made them so when they conquered England in the 1100s because they didn't like them and tried to obliterate the English language and make everyone speak French. Lucky for all of us English speakers, there were more Anglo-Saxons than Normands in Britain and they couldn't make everyone stop speaking Anglish~ So English is a Germanic language today and not a Romantic one. :) (If you don't like the words, sorry, but they've been around longer than society's aversion to them~ So stay _away _from Chaucer if they offend you!)

**History: **Gothones was a land just a little east of Rugii around the Baltic. Originally, the Goths descended from the Swedes, but they moved down onto the main land. The Goths, of course, will be quite important later on.

**Deutsch: **_Hör mal zu_- it's along the lines of "Listen up, because I'm not going to tell you this again!"

'**Nother Note: **Sorry it took so long to update! But my short attention span mixed with all my schooling just made it difficult to finish. BUT! On the bright side, I got engaged on Monday. :) So don't hurt me! :P


	6. Chapter 6: Fragile Peace

**Chapter Six: Fragile Peace**

After the appearance of Gothones, East did nothing but chatter on and on about the stranger, asking all sorts of questions of Germania, despite the elder personification's refusal to answer. For whatever reason, it seemed that the eldest child had been quite taken with the brunette that had come, liked the way the other man had held himself. Germania knew he was going to be truly suffering if the boy were to adopt the…eastern manners from his mother's side. A shudder ran through the big blonde's body at the thought. Woden help him if the albino became as narcissistic.

West, on the other hand, did not change much after the introduction of Gothones, except that he crawled about more, and wanted to try his hand at walking. His elder brother doted upon him, tried to help him, but the baby still had yet to stand on his own. Even though a part of Germania was annoyed that he should care for an infant, who was so useless and unable to do anything advantageous, a much greater part had learned to become amused with the tiny blonde. It stirred unfamiliar emotions in the old personification as he watched with the barest hint of a smile as the baby struggled and fought to stand or to crawl greater distances to keep up with his brother. It was interesting to watch the two brothers interact. Germania did not have such an innocent relation with any of his brothers or sisters, though he wasn't sure if any of his were even blood.

But as much as the two children's antics amused Germania, he knew that if they were going to survive in the world, it was time that they learn some skill and become useful. Who knew how long he still had left in the world? If these little ones were ever going to make it, then he had to impart his knowledge to them quickly, especially the elder. If Germania died before the littlest one could actively take care of himself, then it would be up to his elder brother to see to it that the blonde lived long enough to gain control over the territory the baby was to inherit.

"_Kinder_," Germania called his sons outside. The albino poked his head out, eyeing his father questioningly. "Bring West and come here," he commanded.

The elder boy ducked into the house before he came back out, his arms laden with his baby brother. The little elf huffed as he finally stopped beside his father, panting, as he set down the blonde. "_Vati_, _Bruder _is fat. You should do something about that."

Scowling, causing the elder to shrink slightly, Germania decided not to comment. Although he still wasn't exactly sure how to raise children, he had decided a while back that healthy children were fat ones, and so he had not skimped on their meals. Unfortunately, that had the effect of his food supplies running lower faster than they should have been if it had just been him, and thus the reason for his calling his boys outside. It was time they learn a lesson, and help Germania maintain their upkeep.

"You are going to learn how to farm," he said to the albino.

"Farm?" East frowned, eyeing his father distrustfully. "What's that?"

"It's where you manipulate the earth and the natural order of growing plants in order to produce food for yourself," the elder personification said simply. "Now come here. I am only going to show you once."

The father took a pick he'd made to till the earth up and showed his son. Red eyes widened as they watched the elder German work, cutting into the hard earth. "You're digging holes?" the little one asked.

"Not exactly," the father grunted. This was back breaking labor that he was doing, but it needed to be done. "Watch," he instructed. He was learning that his eldest learned better by example rather than explanation, and so he tried his best to be deliberate about every stroke he made, so that the boy could memorize them and one day mimic him.

After only a minute of watching, the albino was nearly jumping up and down excitedly. "Can I try? _Bitte_?" he begged.

The boy was still far too little for this work, too young to begin this sort of labor, and yet his eagerness to help, to please, contented Germania, and he found he couldn't say no to those ruby eyes. Silently, he stopped his work and handed over the tool to his son. It was far too big for the child, nearly causing the boy to topple over with it in his hands, but admirably, East stayed on his feet. Like he had seen his father do, he tried to plow into the earth, to till it as he had seen his father do. "Like this?" he asked after a moment. "Am I doing it right?"

It was a sloppy form, to be sure, the child really not doing anything at all except shift some of the dirt Germania had already cut into around, but it was a start. The boy was learning, wanted to learn, and that was good. It would be easier for him when he was older. "Nearly," he nodded. "Here"

Germania took up the tool again, showing the boy the proper grip of his hands before he set off to work again. The child watched once more as his father labored in the early morning next to his baby brother. Eventually, the elder German soon forgot about the presence of his children as they remained silent and the rhythm of work lulled him into the familiar arms of concentration. Sweat soon began rolling down the man's back as the sun rose higher and higher, and his muscles began to feel a familiar ache in them. He did not plant food often, usually too busy for such things, and allowed food to be one of the items others under his rule could offer as tribute, but he had decided that with two boys now, he would have to have more. He was unwilling to explain to anyone why he needed more, and to just keep the rambunctious pair of children busy, he believed this would be good for them.

Eventually, the silence that Germania adored so much began setting wrong with him, and just as he began wondering why he felt strange, it hit him. His life was _never _silent anymore. With two boys, all he ever heard was some sort of noise or another. What had happened to them?!

Spinning around, the new father saw his youngest in the place where his brother had set him earlier, apparently having gotten bored with his father teaching his elder brother how to plow, and was practicing standing up. Although, from how little the baby was actually accomplishing, it appeared more that the child was learning how to fall. But the infant was often quiet, only when he needed changing or was hungry did the little thing cry. No, the problem was: where was the albino?

Blue eyes scanned all around the area for the child, but the initial search proved fruitless. It was only when he turned completely around did Germania find the elder child right behind him, stick in hand. Relief flooded through the old German but was instantly replaced by curiosity. What was the boy doing that required such concentration and silence?

His answer came when he realized that the albino was mimicking his moves with the stick, plowing through the dirt Germania had already loosened. Technically he wasn't doing a damn thing, just drawing a line in the soft dirt that had already been chopped fine, but despite this, pleasure coursed through the old warrior. If he didn't watch himself, the old nation would say that he was proud of his son and his not-so-awesome deed. Yet it was strangely endearing that the boy wanted to help so badly, wanted to learn the lessons his father was teaching him.

When the boy noticed that his father had stopped, he looked up, smiling toothily at him. "Am I doing it right now?" he asked, eyes wide, eager to be praised.

Not having the heart to tell the albino his actions were useless, Germania nodded. "_Ja_, I believe you are."

East's smile somehow grew wider and he looked nearly ready to burst. "Look, _Bruder_!" he called, turning to the baby, who stilled his attempts to stand. "_Vati _and I are farming!"

For his part, the infant looked between his father and brother, appearing highly disinterested with their latest accomplishments, before he went back to trying to stand on his own two feet. Apparently his endeavors were much more important and noteworthy. Despite the baby's indifference and apparent apathy, Germania smirked, wiping his brow with the back of his hand before he shook his head. He had never known that children could be such sources of amusement before. Perhaps that's why Rugii had kept them?

When a small plot of dirt had been plowed and tilled, Germania then showed his eldest son how to create the rows in which the seeds would be planted. The albino watched with the utmost attention, apparently determined to get this right the first try. The father was tempted to allow his son to make the rows himself, but decided against it, knowing that they had to be straight, and his son would probably be too anxious to worry about something as trivial as making a straight line in the dirt. So in the end, Germania allowed the boy to have his hands on the tool to "help guide it" as he himself really dug the rows.

Once that was complete, the albino once again tried to brag about his accomplishments to his brother, but yet again the little blonde didn't appear to care. Instead, he crawled out of his shady spot and out into the sun. Almost cat like, he curled up and decided to take a nap, apparently learning to stand had tired him out. For a moment, Germania tried to remember a time when he had been that little, when he, too, had less important things to worry about, but couldn't. Had he ever truly been that small? He couldn't recall.

"Now it's time for your job," Germania turned to East, peering down at him seriously. "I am trusting you to do this while I tend to chopping wood."

Cinnabar eyes lit up just as the old Germanic nation had hoped that they would. "_Ja_!" he exclaimed loudly. "Tell me what to do, _Vati, _and I'll do it! And I'll be the best at it too!"

Smirking slightly, Germania pulled out the small leather bag he had in his trouser pocket, before opening it and dumping out a few of the contents into his hand. Squatting down so that the child could see too, the older personification began to explain. "These are grain seeds, _Kind_, and are what will grow to be the plants we eat. Have you ever planted seed before?"

The boy shook his head quickly. "I watched _Mutti _do it," he said, as though that was all the recommendation he needed to carry out the task, as if that made him an expert.

Frowning slightly, the blonde man nodded. "Then watch closely, little rabbit, and I will show you what to do."

Walking over to the new garden, father and son went along the newly dug rows as Germania began carefully scattering the seeds into the earth. He nearly did half a row before kneeling down next to his son. "Do exactly as I have done," he instructed, handing over the leather bag. "Do not scatter any more or any less than what I have. Complete all of the rows. If you forget how much to scatter, look back at what I have done. When you're finished, come get me and I will show you the next step."

Anyone would have thought that the stern personification had given the boy a gift with the delight radiating off the child so. "I'll do it! You can count on me, _Vati_! This'll be the bestest farming _ever_!"

Again, a slight smile came to the man's lips, but he squashed it before it could take too strong of hold on his features. "Good," he nodded. "I'll be chopping wood."

So, with the albino distracted, and work being done, Germania found himself in a good mood. It didn't happen too often lately, but it was precious to him. As he walked by his other son, the man carefully placed the infant back into the shade, lest the child burn, before walking a little farther away to begin working on his own. Picking up the ax, be began cutting the small tree he had hauled back to the house the other day, and began stripping it of its branches. Once more performing a familiar task, the old nations lost himself in thought.

When he had first found his children, it had never occurred to Germania how useful they could be. They drained his resources to be sure, but at the same time, there was opportunity for them to help him build up more. True, at the moment, they couldn't do much of anything, especially the littlest one, but over time, they could be great assets to him. He just had to invest time and effort at the moment, but perhaps he would get something in return when they had grown just a little bit more.

Once the branches were cut and piled, chopping the trunk came next. The large man swung his ax carefully, not wanting to waste energy with inaccurate blows. Conserving energy was everything when you lived alone, or at least with very few other people. Everyone had to pull their weight, and for any one person to fall behind and become weak would result in disaster overall. Seeing as Germania was the only adult, the only one who could properly look after himself, it was detrimental that he remain well so that he could, for at least as short time, care for the children. Now that he had one son actively helping with the garden, that meant that at least Germania didn't have to work as hard. At least since East was still little, he didn't have to bend over quite as severely as Germania would if he had been planting. The boy was saving his back quite an aching in doing that, so at least in that he was truly grateful.

Stopping to rest a moment, sweat falling off of him, Germania looked over at his two children. East was energetically spreading the seed, grinning wickedly. It made the father wonder at the boy, but as long as the albino was content in his duty, the older man was not going to question the child's motive for being cheerful during his labor. Perhaps he was imagining or playing a game? Just a little away from his brother, fast asleep in the shade, West laid, content to be left alone. That was one endearing quality of the baby, Germania had to confess, the child not needing too much attention. The big man winced at the thought of having a demanding infant, one that did not like to be ignored, as he had seen a few times when he went into the village. How any parent could endure _that_, the confederation didn't know.

But there was no use wasting any more time. After catching his breath, Germania began cutting into the log again, cutting it into small sections. He was nearly finished when a streak of white caught his attention. "I'm all done, _Vati_!" East exclaimed animatedly. "Come look at what a good job I did!"

Snorting at such immodest speech, Germania set down his ax and walked over with the child to inspect the garden. True enough, the boy had finished. It wasn't completely even, the spread, but it was close enough for Germania to give his approval. After all, this was the boy's first time actively gardening, so he would only get better. Again, the older German found himself thankful that at least he didn't have to do it.

"Very well," he nodded his sanction. "Now it's time to cover the seeds."

"Cover them?" the albino looked up. "Why? Then you can't see what a good job I did!"

Germania found himself biting his cheek to keep from chuckling. What a brat, but oh what a very Rugii-like thing to say. For whatever reason, the big man found he could easily deal with the arrogance in this case. "We will get to see your work in a few weeks when it begins to grow," he promised. "But if you want the plants to grow, you must cover them with the soil."

Again, the father taught his son the proper way to accomplish the task. Once he was sure that the boy would be fine, he left and went back to chopping wood. He only had a little bit to go before he began splitting the sections. He had found out that by doing this, he could store pieces neatly in the house without worrying to have to go outside all the time. It was particularly nice in the winter months when the snow was deep and the wind biting.

The morning hours seemed to have slipped away and soon the sun was standing at its highest. Finally finished with the wood, exhausted from the hard physical labor, Germania looked around for his children. East should have been done rather quickly after covering the seeds, but the boy had not come to boast about his accomplishments afterwards, and had been strangely quiet. Looking to where he had last left West, the big man's eye softened, breaking through his reserve at the sight that greeted him.

Laying together under the shade of the young tree, were his children, fast asleep, East curled around his brother while West snuggled close. Apparently the boys had tired themselves out from their respective tasks of the day, and Germania didn't mind. Their silence was a treat, but surprisingly, so was their presence. If it had been anyone else, Germania admitted he would not have cared or allowed himself to smile, but since these were his children and he was alone with no one to see him, he allowed his lips to curl up slightly.

Walking over to the two, Germania knew he should probably wake them, feed them, but he just couldn't destroy the peace. It was a nice day, not too chilly, but not insufferably hot yet either. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and he could hear the creek gurgling merrily not too far from them. The birds chirped, and after working all morning, weariness over took the confederation as well, and he sat down next to his children. He stared at them a moment, to see if they were disturbed by his presence, but when neither moved, he smile again before easing his own body down to the ground. He sighed, draping an arm over his eyes, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep as well, completely undisturbed and finally relaxed.

**oOoOoOo**

Germania woke with a start when he realized he'd fallen asleep. He picked up his head and looked around groggily, feeling terrible. He didn't usually take naps, not because he thought he didn't need them, but because when he woke from them, he usually felt worse than he had before. On the rare occasions that he did, he was usually annoyed with himself. But at the moment, he wasn't. While he felt even more tired than before, felt as though his limbs were logs, he stared up at the sky. Only about an hour had passed or so. That was good. At least the day hadn't been completely wasted. He hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately so he had probably needed to just slow down and take a rest.

He noticed something heavy on his arm and looked down to find East had come and snuggled up next to him. His face heated up a bit at the affection, consciously or unconsciously, being show to him, but tried to push down his embarrassment. There was nothing wrong with this, was there? Just a boy and his father taking a nap together outside. A part of Germania was always a bit uncomfortable with contact from others, especially when they were tender touches, but he was still learning to accept his new role as father. Thus far in life, soft touches and cuddling were only equated with lovemaking in his mind, so it was at least reasonable to understand his discomfort at the moment.

While the albino rested peacefully near him, Germania was tempted to lean back his head and just try to go back to sleep when he suddenly remembered: Where was West?

Sitting up carefully trying not to jostle the elder boy, the blonde looked for the infant. His momentary panic was quickly squashed when he caught sight of the baby just outside of the shade's edge. Apparently well rested, West was attempting to stand. Relaxing, relieved that he wasn't completely an incompetent father, Germania sat up, resting East's head on his leg, and watched the baby in his toils. Once he realized his father was awake, West smiled brightly at the man, showing off the few teeth he had.

"Come here, _Kind_," Germania encouraged softly.

The baby obediently crawled over to the big man. "_Vati_," he cooed.

"You will need to learn to walk," the elder said thoughtfully. "I cannot have you getting stepped on."

Taking the baby's arms in his hands, Germania stood him up, as he had seen East do on numerous occasions. West stood on chubby, shaky legs, only managing to stay up due to his father's support. For a moment, realizing that he was almost weightless with his father nearly picking him completely off the ground, the baby giggled as he stomped his feet, imitating walking.

Hearing his littlest boy laugh for the first time had a strange affect on Germania. For a moment, it nearly sounded like song, startling the German. He had never heard such a wonderful, pleasing noise before, and yet, a part of his mind, a more reasonable part, knew that he had. A warm smile came to his lips, and like before, he allowed it to stay. Looking down at East, still fast asleep, only encouraged the father to keep his affectionate featured on his face.

"Stand up," Germania encouraged the baby, easing more of the infant's weight upon unsteady feet. "Come on. Stand," he commanded gently.

Little West did not look pleased at having his support being taken away, but Germania didn't let the perturbed face bother him. If the child wished to learn how to stand, and in return walk, he would need practice, not coddling. It was healthy that all children should struggle a bit, right? Built character, taught them that they had to work if they were to survive, allowed them to learn how to adapt, and for a nation, that was everything. Being strong meant being able to take care of yourself despite hardships, and quite frankly, Germania decided to push his children so that they would be strong, so that perhaps they would live much longer than he had.

Eventually, the baby was wobbling much more noticeably on his feet as Germania made West do most of the work. When the child did not immediately fall over, the elder blonde carefully let go with one hand. West did not like this, scowling over at his father angrily, but he also seemed much more concerned with accomplishing his mission. Like his elder brother, the little blonde was not easily dissuade from difficult tasks, in fact, even at this young of age, Germania suspected that both his children relished a challenge. Why else had they survived wandering out in the woods for who knew how long after they lost their mother? It could not have all been due to divine intervention that the children had lived.

"You can do it," Germania encouraged quietly again, as the baby fought to find his center of gravity. Tentatively, the big man pulled his other hand away. He wanted so badly for the infant to be able to stand on his own, and yet, the old nation knew that no one could rush such a project. Unfortunately for little West, however, after a few strange moment of standing by himself, he fell backwards onto his bottom with a little, "oof!" In spite of himself, Germania smiled. "You will get it soon, little bird."

East sat up then, rubbing his eyes as he yawned tremendously. He looked first to his father and then baby brother before frowning sleepily. "What are you doing?" he muttered.

"Your brother needs to learn how to walk," Germania said simply. "Can I trust you to teach him?"

Sleep seemed to suddenly be the farthest thing from the albino's mind as a large grin spread across the boy's face. "_Ja_!" he cried, nodding eagerly. "I've been trying. Watch! Watch, _Vati_, watch!"

Up in a flash, the elder boy was next to his brother's side and hauled the baby up holding onto his hands as Germania had a moment ago. West, apparently more used to his brother handling him, instantly leaned back so that he was against his brother for support. Like that, the baby was perfectly fine standing, and even smiled a bit.

"If he is going to learn to do it on his own, you cannot let him lean on you," Germania pointed out quietly. "Let him do it himself."

"Right!" East nodded quickly, apparently still in the stage of wanting to please his father unconditionally, which, Germania decided, was a good thing. "Come on, _Bruder_, get off me and show _Vati _you can stand!"

For several minutes, Germania watched his sons. The albino chattered away as the baby remained stubbornly silent as he focused on learning to stand. It was an oddly peaceful thing, he decided, and before he could stop himself, the old warrior found himself happy, happy that he had such fit children, children that would grow to be workers. Not many men, human or nation, could boast on having such a healthy son, and Germania had two. He had often heard fathers brag of their children, but he had never understood why they would do such a thing as children had always seemed like too much of a burden to enjoy, but now, slowly, Germania was beginning to think he understood. Just as a ship maker or carpenter was proud of his creation, so was a father. Germania had helped make these two children, and despite their troublesome attitudes at times, they were his, and they were perfect because the great Germanic nation did not make anything terrible.

So, while the children played, Germania got up and decided it was time for something to eat. They had all worked hard in one way or another that morning and food was required to replenish their strength. He cooked meat and cut the bread that he had made the other day and brought it back out for the children. Mentally, he realized that he was going to have to find more variety of food since he wasn't wandering as much as he normally would have since he had to stay with his sons. A trip around his land would be necessary, he realized, if he was going to collect tribute owed him, and obtain more food that the villages and tribes usually gave him. That would be good for his children, to eat more than just meat and bread.

The instant Germania had handed over East's helping, the boy all by pounced on it, devouring it like a starving wolf. Shaking his head, having seen worse eating habits, the father picked up West, set the baby in his lap, and began feeding him. Like always, the baby opened his mouth obediently, waiting for his father to place the food in, like a little bird. Although mostly gum, there were a few little teeth growing in, and Germania was glad. He didn't know what he would have done had the baby been much younger than now.

When the children were fed and satisfied for the time being, East decided that it was time for more walking lessons. West didn't look up to it, especially on a full stomach, but like all of his brother's antics, the tiny blonde went along with it with only a huffing sigh. It amused Germania greatly to watch the two as they could always surprise him. It was strange, he observed, at how compliant West really was with his brother considering the infant would grow to be the more dominate personification of the two. In the human world, it was usually the elder that was more outgoing, but that wasn't usually the case with personifications, though it seemed to be proving true in this case. How would West's attitude change when he was older? East's, he was convinced, was fixed, would be similar to Rugii's, but what of West? Would the baby really end up more like him? It was strange, almost disturbing, to think about. Germania had never thought his personality was particularly desirable, nor necessarily what anyone else should emulate.

Eventually, the albino gave up his attempts to teach his baby brother, and ended up running around with a stick in his hand, waving it about. "I am the great warrior _Vati_, and I will make you bleed!" he exclaimed in what was probably supposed to be a commanding voice.

Germania's brow rose at the little speech and frowned. No, he had never thought that anyone should ever copy him like this, and although he supposed he should be flattered, he was just embarrassed. Next to his brother, West giggled. In the back of his mind, the warrior wondered why it had been so fascinating for the children to see blood after he had punched Gothones.

He was about to teach East how to hold the stick more like a sword, teach him a little more today than just simple gardening, when Germania's sharp hearing detected something in the woods. Scowling, he stood, which silenced the children who apparently knew something was wrong. Listening for the noise again, Germania grabbed West after a still moment, and took East by the hand, heading for the house. "Stay in here," he commanded sternly, "and keep your brother quiet."

"Who's out there?" the albino whispered, eyes wide as he watched his father put on his sword.

"Stay in here and keep silent," Germania commanded again, before shutting the door, and walking out to look around.

It didn't take long before the rustling out in the woods became more clear, more distinct, and after only a minute longer, Germania saw several men walking towards his home, one of whom, was not native to his lands. "_Halt_!" the Germanic personification called. "Who goes there?"

The small group of men stopped upon command, but one called, "We've brought a messenger to you, _Vaterland_!"

Germania relaxed his stance, and soon the group was walking again. They came out of the clearing, revealing two large Germanic men, dressed in their warriors dress, and in between them, a Roman soldier. The personification scowled at seeing the outsider, but walked over to them confidently. While his own people were tall, Germania was taller, and he towered over the Roman who had to strain his neck back to meet the cold blue eyes that waited for him.

"And what," the old warrior asked, speaking in Latin so that the fool would understand, "are you doing here?" The foreigner gulped. "I have paid my respects to Rome and have sent some of my people to serve him."

"The Roman Empire," the messenger began, ignoring the question to get out what he had to, "wishes for you to meet him in Rome to discuss your tribute."

The dark scowl only intensified. "I told you, I have paid my respects. There is nothing else to discuss."

"The Roman Empire requires your presence in Rome within several weeks," the messenger repeated.

Crossing his arms severely, showing off the thick muscles in his arms in the process, Germania snorted. "And what if I refuse to attend?"

The Roman looked about ready to faint, being all alone with only barbarians as companions, barbarians who had no trouble killing those who didn't belong. "H-he said that should you not attend, he w-would have no choice but to come r-retrieve you himself…and that you would see him coming since he will b-blaze the trail."

A snarl escaped the blonde man's lips as his hands twitched for his sword to cut off this man's head. "You are threatening me? In my own land?" The short man began trembling. "How dare you," Germania's tone turned black, and even though his men did not know Latin, could not follow along with the conversation, they knew something was wrong, and drew their swords, waiting for their nation's signal. "Do you think that I am Rome's _dog_, that I should run when called?"

"N-No!" the Latin man shook his head quickly, knowing that his life was in great danger. "I am merely the messenger! I am only relating the Roman Empire's words!"

"A smart man would have thought of a way to make them more polite," the Germanic nation hissed. "Now, leave. You are no longer welcome in these lands."

The Roman looked relieved, yet frightened as he tentatively asked, "A-are you going to come? What should I tell the Empire?"

Drawing his sword, Germania swung, severing the man's arm. The Roman let out a cry of agony, falling to his knees. He began panting, crying, as he groped at where his arm had been only a moment ago. "If you survive," the blonde warrior replied coldly, "tell your master that I resent his calling on me like a slave."

Turning to his own men, Germania said in their own language, "If he lives, return him to the Romans. If he does not, take them the arm and tell them to think wisely before they make demands of me. Either way, I care little."

The two Germanic men nodded, before they hauled up the suffering Roman, who was weeping still, groaning in pain, and the arm, before walking back through the woods. Germania watched them go. He was furious, he was so angry he had serious thoughts of running back out and finishing the Roman off. How dare Rome threaten him! After all he had done, having to work and pay tribute to the bastard, yet having to serve his peoples not under control of the Romans. They had had a deal, and now the _schwein _was trying to alter the agreements.

Spinning around to go back into the house, he looked up to find himself staring at two, small, horrified faces that had gone completely pale as they sat in the doorway. Germania stiffened. They had seen it all.

A thrill of fear went through the old warrior as he realized what his children had seen, yet he could not be sorry. They had to learn, they had to harden themselves to the realities of life. But that did not ease the warrior's fears, however, as the realization of Rome's threat finally sunk in more clearly. If Germania did not go, Rome would come here, would come here and attack them all, even the children…

Rushing forward before kneeling down, Germania looked at his fearful children and beckoned them to come to him. The albino looked wary, hugging his brother close, before he slowly made his way over to his father, who had flecks of blood all over his clothes. When in arms length, East lunged himself and his brother into their father's arms, burying his face in his father's chest. "That was a bad man, wasn't it, _Vati_? That's why you hurt him?" Next to his brother, the baby began crying.

"_Ja_," Germania said softly, instinctively stroking both of his children's heads. "A very bad man."

With the threat of Rome hanging over him and with the children to think about, what was Germania going to do? He could not go and leave his boys behind, yet he could not very well not go, nor could he bring the boys with him. What would Rome do if he found out that his enemy had children? The thought was too horrifying to dwell upon.

Taking his children into the house, Germania knew that he had to start making plans.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Been a while, I know, but the trouble with writing this story as opposed to my others is I need to check and do more research on it. :/ The others I know the histories better, but this one, I've had to map out quite a bit of it so that in the future, but I think I've got it all settled now so maybe updates will be faster. :)

Anyway, I thought everyone needed a fluffier, happy chapter with our three favorite boys~ Aren't they cute? If you were wondering, though, about baby HRE, I'm going from the line of thinking that personifications DO NOT develop the same as humans, so the steps might be off a little. I think nations, since they apparently don't grow as fast, develop mentally faster rather than physical…Just go with it please~

But what will Germania do now that Rome's come knocking at his door? Please leave me a review on your way out. I always appreciate it, especially when a story is particularly difficult to write. Thanks! :)


	7. Chapter 7: For Their Good

**Chapter Seven: For Their Good  
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After the Roman messenger had gone, Germania wasted no time planning out his next move. Usually he would not have cared much about disrespecting Rome on such a minor case, but this time was different. Unfortunately, having children changed everything. Should Rome find out about East and West, should he realize how much those children had started to mean to the old barbarian, the slimy bastard would have gained a powerful leverage over the blonde at last, an easy weakness to exploit. The personification of the Roman Empire might appear to be a likable, cheerful man, but Germania knew better. That southerner was as vicious as they came, burned innocent people, ravaged land, enslaved others: Rome was not a man to be trifled with, especially when he knew what you wanted, what made you vulnerable.

The children had been rather traumatized after seeing their father dismember the Roman soldier, East more since the elder children knew the full ramifications of what had happened. Although West knew that what had happened as bad, could sense that the situation was terrible, he was still a bit too small to be able to grasp the full concept of what his father had done. To the infant, he had merely seen his father hurt another person to the point of bleeding, the elder boy knew he had seen his father nearly kill another man. Death, although still mysterious, was a concept the albino could grasp much more easily than his brother at this point, and despite his praises weeks before about making Gothones' noise bleed, the little albino never brought up the wound of the foreigner.

Germania had explained to his eldest about what he had done, about just who that foreigner was, and slowly, the boy began loosening up. Slowly, the elder boy began to realize that there were times when you had to hurt someone and times when you could let them go. Despite being a bold speaker, it turned out that the little elf had a gentler heart than what the elder German had suspected. That was not good. If the boy would survive, he needed to learn to harden his heart, to take appropriate action, even if he really didn't want to. That's what made nations strong.

But with the children largely taken care of in that matter, Germania still struggled with coming up with a way to protect his sons while also getting rid of the threat of Rome. If he did not go, Romans would come with his armies and destroy the tentative peace that they had created the last several years, probably destroying as much as they could in the process. If Rome came and won, then he would probably punish Germania severely for his lack of respect and would take the children and probably enslave them if he did not outright kill them. But if Germania went to Rome, as ordered, what would happen to his sons? He could not bring them along, yet he could not leave them here alone. They would never survive and the father was certain he'd drive himself insane with worry.

One night, after the children were in bed, the old nation began thinking up plans as to what he could do. The obvious answer was that he should go to Rome. If that were the case, then the children's existence would be saved as the empire would never know them. But that meant that the children had to be cared for. His first thought was to send them to stay in some human village, but the idea was instantly shot down. With East's mouth running wilding and West's temperament, the two would probably drive anyone crazy, and humans were so much frailer than personifications. The children's strength was easily ten times that of an adult human male, so they would be destructive as well as infuriating. There was no reason for him to punish his people just because he needed to leave.

Sighing, not for the first time that evening, Germania allowed his head to fall into his hands as he sat by the fire. He ran a frustrated hand through his locks before he turned to stare at the boys. East was curled around his little brother after making a nest for the baby, and his leg was twitching. Without realizing it, the elder German formed just a bit of a smile on his face. Despite him wanting to smash his own face in half the time his children were around, the blonde couldn't deny that they were amusing at times, that he was starting to feel for them like…well, he wasn't exactly sure like what. He was certainly as fond of them as he had been his old dog once a long while ago, though that dog had been more useful. But still, there were his children, and he was fond of them, despite everything. They were _his_.

The image of the two boys wrapped in chains and bruises assaulted Germania's imagination then, causing him to flinch from his musing. Letting his head fall, his long hair safely blocking out the outside world as he stayed behind its curtain, the old personification desperately tried to think of something to do. Rome could not get these boys. With East, he would have gained territory of the upper eastern providence of Germania's lands, meaning that perhaps Rome would have gained more land making a path towards East's as well. And with West…well, West was the very heart of all this. He was Germania's heir. With West, Rome could control _everything_.

Standing up, the father looked towards his children before he walked from the house. He knew what he had to do now, even if it would cost him. It was getting quite late, but he had much to do before the sun rose. He whistled sharply into the night, birdlike, and only had to wait a minute before his horse came trotting over to him. It wasn't often that Germania made use of the beast, preferring to walk about his land, but he needed to get going quickly, and the creature often didn't mind. He was just thankful it always stayed fairly close at hand.

Jumping on its back, the personification kicked it with his heels and sped off into the night, to the north, his children safely tucked into bed, none the wise of their father's activities.

**oOoOoOo**

When the light of morning finally made its brilliant appearance a little over a week later, Germania was nearly to Rome. He hadn't stopped much since leaving his home, only when his horse required it, and it was starting to take its toll on both horse and rider. So, just as the sun was greeting the day with her rays, Germania stopped, having entered into Italia, and plopped down, laying flat. His horse came and nuzzled him with its nose, and the personification snorted sitting up and taking off its headpiece.

The animal seemed content, and wandered off a bit to eat and drink more freely before resting, leaving its master to take his own rest. But while the horse could be satisfied with the break, Germania could not. Even as he tried to close his eyes and sleep a bit, his mind always went back to his children. Had he done the right thing leaving them with _him_? Would they be safe? Would Rome be satisfied with his coming?

The blonde couldn't answer the questions concerning Rome, and knew his worry on that note would not be appeased until after he left the dreaded Roman city, but his children, he knew, would be safe. Despite their great hatred for one another, Gothones would take care of the children, and he would care for them well. Whatever the brunette said to him, however he might act, Germania had always gotten the impression that the other man was much more emotional then he let on. He'd have to be to take on a sister like Rugii, and to be moved so much by news of her death. Gothones would care for the boys not for him, not for Germania, but for her. There was no merit in killing East, not since his sister was no longer there and she'd wanted the boy to succeed her, and if Gothones was to get revenge on Germania for helping to destroy his sister, then West must live so that Germania would die.

No, there was perhaps no safer place for his children to be at the time then with Gothones. The man was vicious and would not let harm come to the boys. Not for Germania's sake, but for Rugii's. It came as a comfort to the anxious father.

Though, remembering back to that night when Germania had literally dragged Gothones out of his bed, after nearly having been impaled by the startled nation, who was fighting his way into consciousness, also help the older man forget his worries for a moment. He actually snickered at the memory. The younger man had been thoroughly terrified, and even though he knew he shouldn't, the blonde hadn't helped matters as his territory kept shouting out that he was being attacked, and Germania kept agreeing with him. But what was life without a little whimsy every once and a while?

But in the end, Germania had forced Gothones to stay, and the brunette had agreed—not that he had much of a choice— and the blonde directly set off for Rome, only staying long enough to tell his sons that he was going. It had actually surprised the old nation at how hard it was for him to actually leave the boys behind. East had wrapped around his legs, tears standing out in those unnaturally red eyes, as he begged his father not to go. West hadn't seemed to fully understand what was going on, but watched with those ever observant icy eyes, the scene going on before him in silence.

Germania's throat had felt strange in that moment, like he could swallow, but with Gothones watching, he worked to keep any expression from his face. "_Warriors do not behave thus, East. They let their comrades go when work must be done._" The blonde man almost regretted his words, so cold and heartless, but he could not bring himself to. His children needed to be tough, and he needed to squash out their need for outward emotionalism. West, he believed, wouldn't have much problem, but East would if he were anything like his mother. Strong nations were those that could do what needed to be done no matter what. Emotions had always gotten in the way for Germania, and he wished that his children understood this as well.

In the end, he allowed to hold each of his sons in turn before he set off, saddling his horse and gathering provisions and rode off without looking back. Well, he looked back, just not when they could see him do so. He couldn't help it. Leaving them sat wrong with him for many known and unknown reasons, but he forced himself to ride away anyway. He was leaving for them. He had done so that they might remain safe.

Just as sleep was coming to him, it left nearly as quickly when the large barbarian heard the sound of sheep. Not just a few, but what sounded like hundreds. Sitting up, he spied a little ways out, a shepherd bringing his flock down from out of the hills. It was a young boy, perhaps thirteen or so, and he seemed completely unaware of being watched by the German.

Standing, the warrior whistled and his horse, ever faithful, came to him. After putting the headstall back on, he led his mount over to the boy, who only now caught sight of him and froze. It wasn't unusual for Germania to scare people, especially if they were not his own, so he wasn't fazed when the boy had stopped mid step, and was staring at him with wide brown eyes and an unnaturally pale face. This was just a natural response he'd come to learn.

"Boy," the blonde called in Latin, stopping a few feet away, giving the child some room. "How far to Rome?"

The child worked his mouth several times, unable to speak, before a high pitched noise finally came out. Germania might have winced at its piercing quality, but managed to hide his annoyance rather well. Following the incomprehensible sound came a mushed up garble of words that the personification did not understand. It wasn't Latin, as he was nearly completely fluent in that strange tongue, and he could only assume it was some sort of Italian dialect.

Growing impatient, Germania tried again, "Rome?" he asked.

The boy knew that word, and with a shaking hand, pointed to the southwest. The Italian tried to speak again, perhaps saying something along the lines of, "That way," but Germania couldn't be sure.

"How far?" the blonde asked. The boy frowned in confusion, which turned to terror as he apparently didn't want to let the stranger down. "Distance?" he tried another word.

The boy frowned, before finally seeming to understand and forgot his fears just enough for him to remember his Latin. "_Decem_," the boy gave a shaky smile, again, pointing to the southwest.

_Almost there,_ Germania thought, pleased. He would be riding into Rome by the early afternoon hours. It seemed pushing his horse and himself to nearly the point of death, had been worth it. Rome had given him a few weeks, but the blonde had been adamant about making it in nearly one. The large empire was probably not happy about his messenger being attacked, so it was best to exceed expectations. He knew how to play the pompous fool.

Nodding his thanks to the boy, the blonde jumped up onto his weary horse and rode off, leaving the shepherd in peace to do his duties. He didn't see that once he was gone how the boy sagged with relief and fell backwards onto the ground, his legs having given out, nor could he have known that he had given the boy something exciting to tell his parents when he got home.

Like the boy said, in ten miles or so, he was entering into the lush city of Rome. Germania had been to Rome before, of course, but each time he'd gone, it had never been under pleasant circumstances, and this time was no different. Despite having been here before, everything seemed so different then the last. It was busier, more buildings, and even more people. It was almost overwhelming, this great city, filled with so many different types of people from all around the empire, so many strange smells, and _Woden_ the noise! It was more deafening then the fiercest battles the old personification had ever been in. For a man who spent the majority of his time in solitude, the city was almost too overwhelming.

But never one to back out of anything, Germania dismounted his horse and began walking through the city he had been eyeing from the outskirts distrustfully. It was almost laughable how much the blonde stuck out, and it was no wonder that he felt uncomfortable. He was easily a good head taller than the tallest man there, and certainly the widest. His long blonde hair gleamed in the sun, and his pale skin contrasted so vividly with the others in the crowd. His strange armor and furs were certainly out of place, as was the thick beard he sported. In every conceivable manner, he was an alien in this world of short, hairless men, and he had little idea that he was the model barbarian for them all.

There was no point in letting his discomfort get in the way of what needed to be done, so Germania held his head high, shoulders square, and began his journey through the mass of people, to the palace where he knew Rome would be lurking. No doubt the fool would be there at this time of day, to escape the heat. He was probably sleeping with that harem of women he kept locked up. While women were certainly an advantage to having power, Germania could not understand Rome's fascination with human women. They were so weak and just when you formed an attachment, they were old and soon died. But then, maybe Rome didn't get attached to his women. It seemed unlikely that he would, considering he had so many, it was probably hard for him to remember one from the other.

Shaking his head away from those strange thoughts, the warrior went on, ignoring the fearful, strange looks he was receiving from the people he passed by. It occurred to the blonde that none of these people were old enough to remember the last time he had be within their city, the last time he had allowed himself into being summoned by Rome. But unlike this time, the last time had been because of a particularly humiliating defeat, in which Germania and several of his sons, along with Gaul and her own, had met to discuss the transfer of power from their rightful holders to Rome. That had been a particularly unpleasant experience, and Rome had not been kind. Germania had lost several of his children while Gaul had been placed under Rome. The mighty woman had shuddered, but kept herself tall and proud, as always. The older nation had not seen much of her since.

Eventually, several guards saw the barbarian wandering through the streets and rushed over to him, weapons drawn. "You there!" one called. "Who are you and why have you come to the palace?"

Scowling down at the shorter man, the blonde itched to take out his sword and start impressing into these lesser men's minds some proper manners when dealing with the _Vaterland_, but he kept himself still, and had to content himself with scowling at these men, causing them to wince and shrink back ever so slightly. Pathetic. "I am Germania," he made sure that his voice was powerful, and tried his best to mimic the Roman accent, knowing his own was thick. He didn't want to waste time in any miscommunications. "I was called by the Roman Empire."

The humans looked between themselves for a moment, wary of the stranger that had alarmingly managed to wander into their city without notice, and had been allowed to roam the streets with no one watching him. It could very well be a trick, or he could have really been summoned by Rome. Germania waited patiently for the fools to make up their minds about what to do with him. At last, they lowered their weapons fractionally.

"You will come with us to see the Roman Empire," one man said. "But we cannot allow you to enter so armed."

Germania raised an eyebrow. "You would have men enter into a den of wolves without protection?" he questioned, knowing he had insulted them, and not really caring. "I am alone. I cannot do much damage," he lied smoothly.

"Regardless," the same man spoke, "we cannot allow you in so armed. To see the Roman Empire, you must relinquish your bow and quiver, your sword, and any other weapons you have on you."

"You would have me be defenseless should there be an attack upon me?" the outsider refused to budge on this point.

"Do you trust so little, the word of a noble Roman citizen?" the other shot right back, clearly offended.

"I do," Germania nodded, crossing his arms.

The Romans seemed surprised, not expecting such a blunt reply, but the blonde waited for them to recover. Germania was absolutely not going into Rome's palace with nothing to protect himself. He would wait outside and insist that Rome come out to meet him if necessary, he was not going in without protection. Romans often spoke of honor and nobility, but they were savages as far as the German was concerned. They broke their promises easily and did not honor agreements. He wouldn't trust a Roman as far as he could throw them, and he could throw them quite a distance.

As the humans were growing antsy with not knowing what they should do, the blonde kept his silence, glare at each in turn. He knew that they were cracking under his severity, and he was pleased by it. After another moment of the intense battle of wills, the apparent leader of the little band finally sighed, looking down. "You will relinquish your bow and quiver and your sword. You are allowed to keep one knife."

It wasn't a huge victory, but Germania wasn't stupid. He knew that that was all he was going to get, at least in a timely fashion. So slowly, he nodded. He could do a lot of damage with just a knife if needs arose. "Very well," he nodded again. "But you will look after my horse and make sure it gets the best care possible."

"Of course," the man agreed readily, relieved that the other had relented.

"And my weapons are to be returned to me the moment I leave," he glared down his nose at the man coldly.

"O-of course," the man nodded quickly.

Making sure they understood him completely, sending them with one final freezing glower, Germania finally moved and unstrapped his quiver and began handing over his weapons. He gave them the bow and quiver and his beloved sword, before he made a show of giving them one of his long hunting knives while he kept the other on his belt. The Roman seemed satisfied, and Germania kept his mouth closes about the other daggers he kept in his boots. These guards only wore their sandals and probably didn't think to ever hide anything near their feet. And so, the guards were content to take the weapons they could see, and the old warrior said nothing else.

So once everything was taken care of and his horse was taken to the stalls to be cared for, the beast really deserving a nice long rest after nearly killing itself on the way here, Germania was at last ushered into the palace. Although he tried to squash it down into nonexistence, the personification found himself nervous, though he didn't show it. He didn't want anything to go wrong, and knew he could not provoke Rome as much as he normally might. This was for his people. This was for his children.

The tall nation was gawked at by the servants and slaves running all along the inside. The women stared, whispering to one another, the men just watched with distrustful glares. The blonde, used to this, was a bit surprised, when he heard some giggling coming from the servant girls, who blushed when he looked over at them. Germania scowled at them, instantly stopping their giggled, turning their rosy cheeks white. He was not here to entertain anyone, was not here to be gawked at. He was there on business, business he did not even want, but all the same.

When they had apparently made it to their destination, the guards stationed outside two enormous doors stared at Germania distrustfully, but opened them when their fellows guards nodded. Opening those large doors was like peeling away a layer of the real world into that of a strange mythical one. In the center of the room was a large bath, all stone and marble, with steam rising from the top, like it was hot, and it was surrounded by sheer curtains or red and green. There were large, plush looking chairs and tables and cushions all around, and bowels of strange fruits and meats on each table. There were men and women there, all naked, as they partook in the bath or sitting around talking. And there at the edge of the bath, sitting in the steaming water surrounded by women, was Rome himself, laughing and drinking.

Rome lazily turned his attention to the door, looking a bit annoyed at having his party interrupted, but the moment he saw Germania standing there, clad in his usual armor, wearing a familiar scowl, those caramel colored eyes light up instantly. "Well now," the empire cried, standing up, and getting out of the water. A slave instantly ran forward to hand his master a towel. Rome took it and slung it over his shoulders. "What do we have here?"

Germania fought back a snort, but worked to keep his face blank as he stood before the other man. Although shorter, Rome was still a formidable and great man. His empire was vast, and his power was considerable. Each scar that littered the Roman's tanned skin was a testament to his greatness, his ability to overcome anyone, even when odds were against him. Germania had similar scars, but the deepest were more from defending rather than conquering.

The two great rivals looked each other up and down, sizing the other up since the last time they'd seen each other face to face. It was tempting to try and pull out his dagger and see if he could not stab the Roman through the heart, seeing as the shorter man was not hiding weapons anywhere, but Germania knew it would be foolish to try. Rome, the bastard, probably wouldn't even die if he did that.

"I believe I was summoned," the blonde answered at last, keeping himself straight and proud. No weaknesses would show. Germania refused to let them.

The other personification rubbed his scruffy chin thoughtfully, those brown eyes calculating. "So you were," he nodded. "Though, I admit I am surprised to see you here so soon. At all, in fact, considering what you did to poor Dante. He barely survived!"

The German remained unmoved. "The next time you wish to speak with me, you come yourself," the blonde hissed, allowing every drop of hatred he felt for the other to bleed into his voice. "I am not your dog, to be called on your whims."

Rome did not back away, even with the barbarian looming over him menacingly. With a smirk, the empire merely shrugged. "Ah, and yet, here you are."

The blonde was seething, but remained still, for his children's sake. "What is it that you want, Rome?" Straight to the point. He did not want to waste anymore time then he had to with this man. Rome was devious, not to be trusted. Everyone knew that.

The brunette turned his back to the other nation and walked away, stretching. He entered into the water once more, back into his place with women and men surrounding him, before he took a gulp of wine. It was instantly refilled. "Come join me for a bath," he called. "The water's warm."

It was a trick, something in this had to be a trick, and the older personification didn't like it. The false pleasantness, the cheer, something in this was very wrong. Rome was planning something or he was wanting to. There had to be something going on, but Germania didn't know what. He knew his people along the south were giving Rome a bit of trouble lately, and he knew that those of his people under Roman occupation were always willing to raise a little hell, if just to be annoying. But no, it had to be something more specific for Rome to call him here. The southerner was foolish, to be sure, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he could very well be causing trouble just by inviting the blonde here, so it had to be something important. If only he could figure it out!

"_Nein_."

For a moment, Latin was forgotten. But Rome spoke enough of the Germanic language to understand the word, and he smiled. "Oh, come now. You've no doubt had a hard ride! You got here so quickly, surely you've been having a tough time of it. Surely you'd like to relax and ease your muscles in the soothing waters?"

How Rome ever got such a large amount of water to be and remain heated at one time had always been a mystery to Germania, and even though he had once sat in the warm waters, knew how wonderful they felt, he was not inclined to do so again. He wanted to get back home as soon as possible. "_Nein_," he shook his head, crossing his arms. "Tell me what it is you want."

The other nation pouted for just a moment before his dark eyes gleamed in just the right way to make the bigger man suspicious. "Come sit in the water with me and I'll tell you everything." With that, the Roman dismissed everyone from the room except for a few servants and one girl, who hung on him. Seeing this, Germania raised a questioning eyebrow, to which Rome chuckled. "Poor creature. Doesn't understand Latin. Got her from Egypt you know."

Germania didn't comment, but sat down near the water's edge. There was a fear in him that should he accept Rome's pampering, he might just be flattered enough to have his instincts dulled enough to let the southerner trick him somehow. He could not afford to lose any edge that he had. He had others to think about now.

Seeming appeased, apparently believing that the German would bend to his will eventually, Rome smiled a charming sort of smile. Germania didn't trust it. "So, my old friend," the tanned empire began, "you've been quiet as of late. What have you been doing up there in the north?"

Snorting, Germania crossed his arms. "Being quiet."

Rome's smile tightened, straining. "I see. And what have you been occupying your time with then? What sort of activities do quiet Germans employ themselves in?"

It occurred to Germania then that Rome had called him here to this meeting because the empire felt threatened by the silence. They had not been fighting much, a few bickers back and forth but too much lately, and it seemed that the quiet unnerved the vast empire. He wanted the larger man to come down because he was worried that he was plotting something. By trying to stay out of trouble, Germania had unknowingly caused it. In the future, he would have to be more mindful to keep things as they were, so as not to rouse suspicion.

"I've been making my rounds," he answered bluntly, not revealing anything. "It's been some time since I've visited my northern most reaches, and have been wandering around the east."

It was not wholly a lie. But Rome apparently believed it to be; completely. "I see," the Mediterranean nation nodded slowly. "Rounds. Well, that's good of you, isn't it? And how are your eastern lands?"

Germania felt himself bristle. "I don't see how that's any of your concern, seeing as you have no outposts anywhere out there."

The other personification laughed, though it was not a kindly sort of sound. "Well, aren't you defensive today?"

The blonde worked his face into a neutral expression, though he allowed just a hint of distain to show through. "It's become custom for those not within the Empire to remain wary of it. You took Gaul and a few of my sons in the west, I have no desire to have you interfering in eastern business."

Rome took another large gulp of wine that was, again, refilled almost instantly. "I see…But you know what it looks like to me, Germania? It looks like you're hid—"

"_Pater_!" the doors of the bathroom burst open, and a young man came striding in, his hair the same mess of curls, though slightly reddish, as Rome's, and he had a few that stood out from the others strangely. "_Pater_, I have terrible news! I—"

"_Filius_!" Rome barked, interrupting the boy quickly, a harsh scowl on his face, before it smoothed over into a smile. "Can't you see we have company?"

The boy turned and seemed to just then notice Germania. The young man paled before he reddened in embarrassment. "F-forgive me," he sputtered. "I was unaware that you were…entertaining," he looked the German over. "…guests."

As he inspected the boy, the blonde man was surprised. They called each other "father" and "son" but such relationships weren't always what they appeared with nations, Germania's brood being a prime example, but as he looked at the two men, the northern nation couldn't help but see all of the many similarities between the two. _They must truly be related_. Although it shouldn't surprise him as much as it did, Rome being famed for his promiscuous activities, it still shocked Germania to find out that the great empire actually had fathered children. For that's the only person this boy could be; Rome's son.

But there were noticeable differences between the two also. For one thing, Rome was taller and broader than his son, and for all intensive purposes, was thicker and more robust. The boy standing before them was almost feminine looking, his arms as shapely as a woman's and his features soft. If Germania hadn't known any better, hadn't heard the younger man speak, he would have been sure that the other was a girl. No wonder Rome must have locked this one away, too ashamed to let the world see what he had produced. It was little wonder Germania had never seen the boy before.

Unaware of his rival's thoughts, Rome smiled at his son again before laughing a bit. "All is well. Though I would have you come back later when I am…less busy with my dear friend here," he motioned to Germania, who scowled at the young man. The smaller flinched.

"B-but _Pater_, it's…it's _them_," he said quietly. "Diocletian says he _will not _stand for them anymore."

Obviously the boy was stupid as well as weak, seeing as if he were not, he would have known better than the speak of such matters of emergency near an enemy so openly. But what was more interesting was the fact that Rome sat up, fully alert, apparently forgetting about his earlier interrogation. This news, whatever it was, must have been truly enthralling as well as distressing.

Getting out of the bath, rudely allowing the servant girl to nearly fall face first into the water, Rome was out and drying off, dressing quickly. "Go inform the Emperor that I shall be there momentarily." His son ran off ahead of him. "You there," he told a servant, "go inform the others that we are meeting with the Emperor."

And with that, Rome fled the bath, completely forgetting Germania, and the servants he left with the barbarian. When it became apparent that the empire was not coming back, at least not for a while, the blonde looked about the room, at all of the quaking slaves and at the girl that sat in the water, apparently not knowing what to do.

Knowing that he probably shouldn't, but being too tempted as he watched the steam swirl into the air, Germania stood, took off his clothes, and entered into the warm water. He nearly sighed in contentment, but stifled it. He didn't want these Romans to get the wrong ideas and believe he was relaxed in every manner. He was still taunt, ready to fight or flee if the need arose. But for now, he sat in the warm water, allowing the stress of the hard riding to melt from his body.

He wondered at Rome's son, the apparently weak child. Not once had the blonde expected the great empire to produce such an offspring. His mind led him to wonder of his own children. He wondered if they were doing well, if Gothones was taking proper care of them. Germania had threatened the brunette within an inch of his life that he had better care for each child, but even with the assurance that they would be well, he couldn't help but worry for them. He also began to wonder what they would be like when they grew. Surely from what he had seen they would not end up feeble and pathetic looking, like Rome's boy. East was already such an ornery child, one that was sure to get into plenty of fights, and West, despite being an infant, looked sturdy, noble. No, _his_ children would be strong, would be competent.

But even telling himself that they were strong, the blonde man strangely found that he did not feel any better for them and their future. Strangely, he still nervous for them. Maybe this uneasiness would leave him as they grew? Perhaps this worry was only temporary?

He hoped so, because he feared if it was not.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hi again everyone. ^^" Sorry for being gone again for a while. School's really been beating me up (seriously, I'm writing my 30 page paper on the creation of the German Empire after this…you can see where my priorities lie~), plus it seems everything technical has been against me since July. -_-" But here we are again. Anyone care to guess where Rome ran off to?

**Random Rant: **I've never understood why Germania doesn't have a beard in the comics, other than that perhaps beards in anime signify old or the characters, in order to be "handsome" must be clean shaven… I like beards, and even if I didn't, Germania gets one. He's a _barbarian_ for crying out loud! Tell me ya'll think of a German barbarian without a beard. Go on. Try. It's pretty hard.

**Fun Note: **Dante= lasting, enduring. (Proper name for that little messenger, eh?)

'**Nother Note: **Well, that's it for this chapter. Next up we'll look to see how Gothones is doing with his nephews. That should be fun~ Thanks for reading, everyone! :)


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